Greg Christie
When, in 1997, Greg recovered from a serious accident, his wife urged him to take the opportunity to get the education he missed as a child, handing him a book, Sam Small the Flying Yorkshireman by Eric Knight, the creator of Lassie. This book became Greg’s inspiration and he vowed to write fellow-Yorkshireman Eric’s life story. With no qualifications, but having shown his research on Eric Knight to university academics, Greg gained a place at York St John University to study English Literature; he completed his degree in 2005. A Masters degree in Contemporary Arts Practice and a 14-state tour of the USA, giving seminars on the works of Eric Knight, followed in 2010. Now considered the world’s leading expert on the author, Greg has been approached by a publisher and hopes to complete a biography of Eric Knight, as well as embark on a three-year PhD.
Being told as a child that he was backward always disturbed Greg, but having gained so much through learning as an adult, Greg said, “‘Backward’ no longer haunts me.” He continued, “My life has changed immeasurably, all due to the self-respect gained through my studies.”