This book is dedicated to my loving wife of 44 years, Joyce Davids Christianson. She passed away January 1, 2023 at the way-too-young age of 66. Joyce was the love of my life and my reason for being. Her passing has left a hole in my heart that will never completely mend. I carry on only because I must. The driving force behind such sentiment is simply to live a life that would make her proud... and to complete a task she began which was of great importance to her.

Joyce was but a year old when she and her parents moved to a farm in southeastern Minnesota. It was two years thereafter that events would unfold which would leave a lasting impression on Joyce. Her mother, Roselyn, was a God-fearing woman, someone who would not stand idly by when faced with an unjust situation she could remedy. That attitude - that sense of morality (which Joyce inherited) - resulted in an intervention that would forever alter the lives of her kin... and those of the Sims, a black family from South Bend, Indiana.

The entire experience garnered national attention and significantly impacted Joyce, so much so that she desired to someday write a book about it, as her mother kept a scrapbook of letters and related news articles. Though many aspire to be a published author, the nuts and bolts of writing a book can be overwhelming, so much so as to stunt the most important part - getting started.  

As an adult, Joyce's life was filled with other things she was passionate about: music, animals (she was a vegetarian), and family activities, just to name a few. Hence, writing the book was pushed to the back burner. It wasn't until her health began to fail that a sense of urgency emerged to embark on this arduous odyssey. Joyce's goal was to chronicle the adventure via the correspondence between her mother and Mr. Sims. Hence, the first step was to transcribe the hand-written letters (in cursive and faded over time) into a file on our desktop. Sadly, health issues continued to mount, zapping her energy and motivation. She asked me to assist in this endeavor so, of course, I obliged. With the typing of the letters complete, it became obvious that more would be required of me to make Joyce's dream a reality, as her kidneys were failing and dialysis was not an option. We opted for hospice care and as she lay in the hospital bed set up for her in our living room, life draining from her body, she asked but one thing of me: "Eric, finish the book." 

South Bend to Spring Valley: the Davids-Sims Story is a tale of phenomenal friendship, one that overcame numerous hardships and blossomed into something so beautiful... so impactful , that my wife's dying wish was for me to tell the story. So I did, not for fame or fortune, but to leave a legacy for one of God's greatest creations, one that implores Americans of all creeds and color to set aside their differences and come together for the good of humanity. What the Sims and Davids accomplished in an era known for its racial strife is remarkable. They truly did judge people by the content of their character, not the color of their skin.  Martin Luther King, Jr. would be proud... and so was Joyce.