Biography: Dave Pelzer

Early Child hood

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Imagine the horror of waking up every day to a raging alcoholic. One who constantly abuses and beats you. Imagine the terror of living with someone who not only beats but nearly kills you several times. Now imagine you are a little boy and this evil person is your mother.

Such has been the experience of Dave Pelzer. This little snippet gives us an idea of what

Dave went through from a very early age. Not only physical but also mental torture plagued his life on a daily basis. For a number of years this young child was subject to abuse of the worst kind.

Things were not always that way in his home. His family life started out pretty normal and happy. Unfortunately though his parents started fighting regularly. After his father left his mother’s drinking problem escalated. She became extremely abusive to Dave.

Though not the only child, somehow his mother thought it fit to make him the main target of her rage. On a regular basis she would make him suffer by denying him food. When she did decide to give him it would just be the leftovers and scrapings.

What makes Dave’s story all the more heartbreaking is the fact that others knew and stood by for years without intervening. His father who eventually abandoned them knew. Even his teachers suspected for some time but over looked it.

It was not until Dave was about twelve years old that one of them stood up and informed the authorities. They then took action to remove him from his abusive mother and place him in foster care.

Life After Home

After being placed in foster care things really started looking up for this extraordinary child. His resilient and positive spirit went a long way in carrying him through the rest of his life. He was very determined, not to allow his past to break his will to live or his drive to succeed.

This resolve became part and parcel of his character and drove him to excel. So when he joined the U.S. Air Force it was no wonder that he was specially favored. He had the privilege of refueling very secretive aircrafts that were used in Operation Just Cause, Desert Shield and Desert Storm.

His Achievements

This drive for excellence continued to propel Dave throughout his life. This is quite obvious from his numerous awards and accomplishments thereafter. These include the following:

* 1993 He was recognized as one of the ten most outstanding young Americans.
He was listed among outstanding persons like: John F. Kennedy, Richard Nixon, Anne Bancroft, Orson Welles, Walt Disney, and Nelson Rockefeller.

*1994 He received the honor of being one of the most outstanding persons of the world.

*1996 He carried the Centennial flame for that year’s Olympic games.

* 2003 He received The Points of Light Award.

* He received tributes from four presidents of the United States Regan, Bush, Clinton and most recently George W. Bush.

* His books, A Child Called “It” and Help Yourself, were both Pulitzer Prize nominees. He continued in his writing career and became the first person to have four books at the same time on the coveted New York Times Best Seller List.

* He made several appearances on popular radio and television programs.

* He has been actively involved in a number of youth group and social welfare organizations such as – Juvenile Hall Counselor, Youth Service Worker, Troy State University-human services studies, National Advisor to the Missing Youth Foundation, Board of Directors of the Foster Care ILP, and Certified Correctional Custody Program Facilitator.

He continues to support and honor individuals and organizations that help abused children.

Dave Pelzer is a truly outstanding human being. His story highlights the triumph of human will, determination and courage in the face of all odds. As we contemplate his life, we can’t help but feel rekindled to make the most ours and let nothing hold us back from achieving our dreams.