Written in dramatic screenplay format, KING OF THE BEES tells the story of Lorenzo Lorraine Langstroth, a 19th century minister and beekeeper, known
today as the "Father of American Beekeeping." Lorenzo suffers both
physically and mentally from a terrifying undiagnosed ailment he calls "head
troubles." Graduated from Yale College, he becomes an ordained minister, then
leaves the pulpit due to his debilitating illness. He marries Anne Tucker, a
loving, determined young woman who becomes the pivotal force in his life. To
help take his mind off his ailment, Lorenzo takes up beekeeping. Believing
that God has chosen him to save bees from destruction, he discovers the
principle of "bee space," the secret of the hive that has eluded beekeepers
since Aristotle. He utilizes the principle of "bee space" in every inside
dimension of a radical new hive of his own design--the top-opening,
movable-frame beehive, still in wide use today. He obtains a patent for his
hive, yet, due to the Civil War and to his gentle, altruistic nature, fails to
protect his patent. Ever practical, Anne is more concerned with Lorenzo's
patent than he is, and, in fact, she is the protagonist of the story to
Lorenzo's antagonist. Lorenzo imports the Italian honeybee, a more prolific
honey producer than the American black bee, making honey production profitable
for the first time. Finally, he writes and publishes "Langstroth on the Hive
and the Honey Bee," securing his place in history as the "Father of American
Beekeeping." None of his great achievements would ever have been possible,
however, without the fierce love, devotion, and determination of his wife
Anne, who forces Lorenzo to continue working until he fulfills his destiny.
KING OF THE BEES is a dramatic, historical-fiction account of Lorenzo and
Anne's inspirational real-life struggle to overcome Lorenzo's terrifying
illness, discover the secret of the hive, and create a radical new hive that
allows honey to be harvested without killing bees.
Charles Haigh is a retired Air Force pilot with three tours and 350 combat missions in Vietnam. He was awarded the Silver Star, the Distinguished Flying Cross, and 17 Air Medals. He recently retired a second time, this time as a high school English and ESL teacher. Reflecting his love for both science and the arts, he has a BS in biology, a BA in cinema and theater arts, and a teaching certificate in English. A S.A.G. actor, his short list of credits may be found at www.imdb.com He works occasionally as a stage actor. As a writer, he has previously published a short story, First Solo, and was co-writer on In A Moment of Passion, a feature film produced in Poland. He's currently writing his memoirs, tentatively titled Once, There Were Warriors. In his spare time, he plays golf and tennis, swims, works out, takes power walks by the beach, rides his Harley, and baby-sits granddaughters. He lives in Torrance, California, with his lovely, supportive Chinese wife, Francesca.