Robert Kopecky survived a traumatic childhood, traveled extensively as a young man, and lived a variety of lives as a ski bum, a factory welder, a monumental sculpture fabricator, an underground cartoonist; and finally as an award-winning illustrator, art director, and animation designer for The New York Times, Sports Illustrated, PBS Kids, and more.

His journeys - from the remote South Pacific to the capitals of Europe to the deserts of Arizona and the canyons of New York City - were punctuated by three dramatic "Near Death Experiences."
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