Captain Charles Kenilworth C.K. Shepherd was born on May 31, 1895 at home at 108 Oakfield Road, Balsall Heath, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England. The youngest of seven children of Timothy Shepherd and Elizabeth Dale, he served in the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force in World War One and received a field commission and promotions to Captain an Equipment Officer assigned to the Aircraft Engine Repair Shops (ERS) in Pont de l'Arche, near Rouen, France. Following the War, C.K. arrived in America in June 1919 and spent the next two months driving his brand-new Henderson motorcycle from New York to San Francisco. In 1922, he published an instant classic about his journey: Across America by Motor-Cycle. C.K., as he was known to all who knew him, married Ursula Mary Edwards in September 1922, the same year his Across America by Motor-Cycle book was published. C.K. and Ursula had two daughters (one of whom remains living today), but Ursula died from cancer in 1938. The next year, C.K. changed his name by deed poll to Charles Kay Shaw, a name he used for the rest of his life. After Ursula died, he married again, to Honorah Tarpey, and had two children with her. C.K. was an architect, engineer, author, artist, father, vagabond, and was a strong proponent of life after death, so when he passed on January 16, 1971, he believed he was just moving on as an enduring spirit. The above information was supplied by former U.S. Air Force and retired airline Captain Mark Hunnibell, who undertook extensive research into C.K. Shepherd and included much of the information about in his new book, Across America by Motor-Cycle - Fully Annotated Centennial Edition (ASIN: 1948181495) which provides nearly 1,000 new photos, notes, and details about C.K.'s journey in 1919 plus a complete biography of C.K. and a foreword by C.K.'s only son. For more information about C.K. Shepherd and his 1919 trip across America, read the Fully Annotated Centennial Edition and also go to: https: //acrossamericabymotorcycle.com
