Steve Hoffbeck, a long-time professor of history at Minnesota State University Moorhead, was born in Minnesota and grew up as a dairy-farmer’s son on the family farm located five miles north of Morgan. His first book, The Haymakers: A Chronicle of Five Farm Families told of the blessings, toil, and woes of farming (a Minnesota Book Award winner, 2001). His subsequent work, Swinging for the Fences: Black Baseball in Minnesota, explored the history of almost-forgotten ballplayers in the North Star State (Sporting News/SABR Baseball Research Award, 2005). He has written numerous articles for Minnesota History and regional magazines. He lives in Barnesville, Minnesota, with his wife, Dianne. They have four adult children and four grandchildren.