Stormy and Nick Doerfler were all smiles Saturday afternoon as they waited for “Fox & Friends” co-host Brian Kilmeade to arrive at Barnes & Noble in Lake Sumter Landing.
Distance wasn’t an issue for the Panama City Beach couple, who drove to Gainesville and spent Friday night, then headed to Florida’s Friendliest Hometown early Saturday morning with one goal in mind – be first in line to see the Fox News personality.
They achieved that goal by arriving at the bookstore at 10:30 a.m. and then letting the anticipation build until Kilmeade arrived three hours later to sign copies of his latest book titled “Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers: The Texas Victory That Changed American History.”
The book, which was released on Nov. 5, tells the story of the fight for Texas, recalling the day in March 1836 when the Mexican army, led by Gen. Santa Anna, massacred about 200-250 Texans, including American legends Jim Bowie and Davey Crocket. The devastating loss galvanized the surviving Texans and just one month after the massacre, under the leadership of Gen. Sam Houston, the small army of settlers rallied and defeated the “Napoleon of the West” at the battle of San Jacinto, which secured independence of the land their friends had died for.
For Nick, the opportunity to meet Kilmeade was special because he’s working on his master’s degree in history at Liberty University and he is a huge fan of the way Kilmeade tells stories.
“When I got hooked on his books, I couldn’t get off them,” he said. “I really enjoy authors when I can see them face to face, because it is their ideas that we’re getting out, especially an interpretation of history.”
Nick said he also appreciates the way Kilmeade’s books flow, which makes them enjoyable to read.
“I’ve read so many history books and it’s just facts, facts, facts,” said Nick, who served in the Army, Air Force and with the Department of Defense before getting his bachelor’s degree in history from Liberty University. “He really wants to keep you engaged.”
Stormy, who is a cosmetologist, said she was extremely excited for her husband, who constantly shares Kilmeade’s books with her.
“I am learning to love history,” she said. “I’ve read bits and pieces of Brian’s books and he’s a very good author. You can read his books and not get lost or want to stop.”
Like her husband, Stormy said she enjoys the flow of Kilmeade’s writing.
“When you read a fictional book, you get lost in the storyline,” she said. “With his books, you’re immersed in it. But he uses facts, so you’re actually learning and being educated while you are in this fantasy.”
A short time later, after being the first to get their books signed, the couple walked away quite impressed.
“He’s really nice,” Stormy said with a huge smile. “He was very genuine. He even asked us where we were from.”
Nick said he was thrilled with the amount of time Kilmeade dedicated to them.
“Even knowing this huge crowd is here, he still took that time to care,” he said. “It was worth the trip.”
Meanwhile, retired Marine Corps Col. Wayne Whitten, an author himself, wanted to speak with Kilmeade about collaborating on a project together. Whitten wrote “Without A Warning: The Avoidable Shootdown of a U-2 Spyplane during the Cuban Missile Crisis,” and he was hoping Kilmeade might take it and do a documentary based on his work.
“I told him, ‘You don’t have to write the book,’” he said. “We’ll see. I gave him a note.”
Whitten said he also wanted to thank Kilmeade for his work on the Fox Nation’s Patriots Awards, which honors those across the country who have shown “steadfast dedication” to the nation and the patriotic values Americans hold dear. Whitten said Kilmeade provided a very moving closing segment to the presentation.
“It was phenomenal,” he said. “He just put it straight out there.”
For Ocala’s Debra Ziolkowski, the trip to see Kilmeade held a different meaning. She is a huge fan and also a Gold Star Wife. Her first husband, Charles Allen Ort, was injured by a hand grenade during the Vietnam War in the mid-1960s and died as a result of those injuries in 1994.
“I think he’s great and I follow him on Fox News,” she said of Kilmeade. “I like his demeanor and the way he presents himself. He doesn’t hold back and he will stand up to the other side.”
Ziolkowski said there’s also another reason she supports Kilmeade and wanted to meet him.
“Fox News and him, they’re pro veterans and that means everything to me,” said Ziolkowski, who attended the event with her husband of nine years, Larry.
Ziolkowski said she also hoped Kilmeade would personalize her book and make it out to a Gold Star Wife. The On Top of the World resident said her late husband has been accepted into a program that will honor his memory and she will be traveling to Washington, D.C. in June 2020 in say his name aloud.
“After that they’re going to do a digital thing and I have all of these pictures from Vietnam when he was over there,” she said.
Kilmeade is certainly no stranger to The Villages, having been here now five times in the past six years. Prior to Saturday’s visit, his last stop in Florida’s Friendliest Hometown came in December 2017 when he signed copies of “Andrew Jackson and the Miracle of New Orleans: The Battle That Shaped America’s Destiny.”
He also was at the popular Lake Sumter Landing bookstore in November 2016 to sign copies of “Thomas Jefferson and the Tripoli Pirates: The Forgotten War That Changed American History” shortly after it was released in paperback. He also signed copies of that same book in December 2015 when it was first released.
Kilmeade’s first book-signing event in The Villages was held in December 2013 shortly after the release of “George Washington’s Secret Six: The Spy Ring That Saved the American Revolution.” During that visit, the line to meet Kilmeade snaked all throughout Barnes & Noble, with some area residents arriving two hours early.
