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Wendell Whitney Thorne
Wendell Whitney Thorne (b. October 27, 1957) is an American Author and Singer/Songwriter currently residing in Ellenton, Florida. A former attorney, Thorne now owns and operates an old-fashioned gentleman's barbershop in Ellenton. The author of three published titles, Thorne began his writing career while studying Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. While there, he wrote a weekly column for the university newspaper, The Blue Banner, as well as movie, book and CD reviews in local Asheville weeklies and monthlies.

Early Life
Thorne was born in Augusta, Maine to Charles Franklin Thorne, Jr., a D-Day survivor and chicken farmer, and his wife, Carolyn Elizabeth ( Whitney) Thorne. Both parents were raised in the state of Maine. Soon after the birth of Wendell, the family moved to Massachusetts, where Charles took on work in a variety of endeavors, ultimately settling on a welding job for United States Navy contracting shipyards. The family lived in what is considered Boston's "South Shore" from 1961 until 1971, with a brief stay in Norwich, Connecticut. In 1969, Charles suffered the first of many heart attacks that ultimately prevented him from working outside the home, and the family was forced to move out of the coveted bedroom community of Hanover, Mass., relocating to East Pittston, Maine, near Gardiner, where Wendell attended and graduated high school. Upon graduation, Wendell joined the United States Coast Guard where he became a trombone player in the USCG Band based on Governors Island, New York.

Music
Wendell Thorne taught himself to play the guitar and trombone during the summer between his sophomore and junior years of high school. He began writing rudimentary songs in the style of Jim Croce, John Denver, and Dan Fogelberg; the songs helped him to express his disappointment with life and inner turmoil over the dysfunction, anger, bitterness and defeatism within his immediate family. After leaving the Coast Guard, Thorne dabbled in a job as a disk jockey in Augusta, Maine, where he became aware that a traveling six-piece band was in need of a trombonist. The band, named "Peace of Mind" and headed by Andy Dio, was based in Scranton/Wilkes Barre, PA and made a regular touring schedule of the eastern coast of the United States. Thorne auditioned and was awarded the job, which lasted for two-plus years. After settling into the northern Virginia suburb of Springfield, Thorne played guitar and sang in a solo act in clubs in and around the greater Washington, DC area for eight years, augmenting his day job as a technician for the local electric utility company. Thorne continued to write and perform until beginning his studies at the University of Tennessee College of Law in the 1990's. His music took a back seat to his studies and subsequent practice of law, until 2009, when he resumed his songwriting and performing career. He produced and recorded his first CD, "Found and Lost," in 2011-2012. One of the songs on that album, "Look My Way," rose to | Adult Contemporary Chart - Thailandnumber 30 on the Adult Contemporary charts in Bangkok, Thailand]]. Thorne currently performs in the local Sarasota/Bradenton music scene, and his original song playlist tops 100.

Literature
Although he wrote stories and plays in his early life, Thorne's literary career began in earnest while studying Creative Writing at the University of North Carolina at Asheville. While there, he was asked to write a weekly column for the university's weekly newspaper, The Blue Banner. Thorne ultimately wrote over 100 columns on the paper's Op Ed page. Additionally, he was a frequent contributor to the area's local weekly and monthly information papers, writing book, movie and CD reviews. He was also a frequent contributor to the Asheville Citizen-Times Op Ed page. In 2008, Thorne finished work on his first book of non-fiction entitled, "An Elephant in the Living Room - Is it too late to 'Kill all the Lawyers?'" The book is an anecdotal and opinionated look at the legal profession and is based upon Thorne's brief career as an attorney. In 2009, Thorne added, "Don't Worry, It'll Grow Back," a collection of stories and essays inspired by Thorne's life as a barber. In 2011, Thorne published "The Hot Dog King and Other Stories" exclusively on Kindle. In 2014, Thorne was contracted to ghost-write the autobiography of Major Frank D. Szachta, USAF (Ret), a B-47 Stratojet pilot during the Cold War, and has two to three novels in production.

Personal Life
Wendell Thorne has been married three times. The first marriage, to the former Robin Black, whom Thorne met while working as a trombonist with Peace of Mind, lasted eight years and produced no offspring. The second marriage, to the former Heather Yarbrough, lasted three years, and yielded no children. His final marriage, to the former Tracy Shaw, produced three biological children. Thorne also adopted Shaw's child from a previous relationship. Thorne also engaged in a prolonged relationship with Anna Wakefield while the two were in college. No children were born of that relationship. Additionally, Thorne was involved for approximately two years with Jessica L. Fenimore (now Del Pozo), who was 25 years his junior. The affair ended in tumult, and Thorne wrote three short stories (the so-called "Shooting Star Trilogy), a novella, and 19 original songs in its aftermath. Seven of those songs appear on Thorne's debut release, "Found and Lost," and a dedication to Ms. Fenimore is included in the liner notes.