RAJTAR, Steve 1951-

PERSONAL: Surname is pronounced "Ray-tar"; born August 16, 1951, in Cleveland, OH; son of Stefan (a painter) and Rose (a homemaker; maiden name, Golembiewski) Rajtar; married Gayle Prince (a travel agent), June 15, 1974; children: Jason, Kelly. Education: University of Central Florida, B.S. and B.A., both 1973; University of Florida, J.D., 1976, LL.M., 1977. Religion: Unitarian-Universalist. Hobbies and other interests: Volunteer scout leader, hiking, camping, sports.

ADDRESSES: Home—1614 Bimini Dr., Orlando, FL 32806. E-mail—[email protected].

CAREER: Gearhiser & Peters, Chattanooga, TN, attorney, 1977-79; Matthias & Matthias, Orlando, FL, attorney, 1979-85; attorney in Winter Park, FL, 1985-98, and Longwood, FL, 1998—.

MEMBER: American Bar Association, Florida Bar Association, Orange County Bar Association, Boy Scouts of America.

AWARDS, HONORS: Boy Scouts of America, Award of Merit, 1993, Silver Beaver Award, 1995, Scoutmaster Key, Commissioner Key, and eighteen Square Knot Awards; service award, Florida Trail Association.

WRITINGS:

Hiking Trails, Eastern United States: Address, PhoneNumber, and Distances for 5,000 Trails, with Indexing of Over 200 Guidebooks, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 1995.

Hiking Trails, Western United States: Address, PhoneNumber, and Distances for 4,300 Trails, with Indexing of Over 200 Guidebooks, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 1996.

Indian War Sites, Directory of Native AmericanBattles: A Guidebook to Battlefields, Monuments, and Memorials, State by State with Canada and Mexico, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 1999.

Slavia Tombstone Inscriptions, Western Reserve Historical Society, 2001.

Historic Hiking Trails, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2002.

(With Frances Elizabeth Franks) War Monuments, Museums, and Library Collections of Twentieth-Century Conflicts, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2002.

United States Holidays and Observances: By Date,Jurisdiction, and Subject, Fully Indexed, McFarland and Co. (Jefferson, NC), 2003.

Contributor to Florida Hiker and Tennessee Bar Journal.

SIDELIGHTS: Steve Rajtar once told CA: "As a boy, I was very active in Boy Scouts and planned to be an adult leader when I grew up. When my son was old enough, I volunteered for several leadership positions, and I remain very active now, ten years later.

"Taking various scouting training courses has opened many opportunities for me. Two in particular related to my becoming an author. First was Woodbadge, a year's course that includes work in areas selected by the participant. My work included the production of a written work on the subject of historical hiking trails and how to use them in an active outdoor program. Next was a three-year course with a written thesis. I chose to do mine on the area of historical hiking trails. I revised the format and added some additional material, and the thesis resulted in my first two books.

"I hadn't intended to become an author. My goal was to learn as much as possible about a subject and then share the knowledge with others. I enjoy researching and trying to find out everything available in the existing body of work, then putting it together in a more usable form, looking for whatever it takes to make the work complete. My projects dealing with central Florida history and the conflicts involving Indian tribes continue that process. I do this only in my spare time, when any is left after spending as much time as I can with my family, working at a full-time job as an attorney, and continuing to be active in several aspects of scouting."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, February 1, 2000, p. 1042; November 15, 2002, p. 620; February 1, 2003, p. 1010.

Library Journal, December, 1995, p. 140; November 15, 1999, Julia Stump, review of Indian War Sites, p. 62.

RQ, summer, 1996, Martha A. Caterson, review of Hiking Trails, Eastern United States, p. 560; summer, 1997, Cynthia Stewart Kaag, review of Hiking Trails, Western United States, p. 603.