Books of Excellence

Tonight Bonnie Kaye welcomes David Hale Sylvester, author of Traveling at the Speed of Life. David is also an award-winning documentarian, founder of Contribute2 and writer of numerous articles but is best known for his ability to touch and motivate.

 He was born in Philadelphia to esteemed Pennsylvania University Professor Samuel Sylvester and wife Theresa, David has always had a willingness to participate in any sport that came his way, “just for the experience of it all.” It is that free spiritedness- along with his booming voice- that has made him a fixture on Philadelphia’s fitness landscape for the better part of two decades.

 But that’s the normal stuff- this is where David’s life goes off the conventional road. When his good friend, Kevin Bowser, died in the World Trade Center on 9/11 he rode his bicycle from Washington State, across North America, to Philadelphia to honor him and raise funds for a scholarship fund.

Upon completing that 2002 ride, he wanted to more, much more, and next biked from Cairo to Cape Town across Africa in 2004. After recuperating from a 2006 accident with a drunk driver, he biked from Istanbul to Beijing across Asia, in 2007.

After returning home, ESPN contacted him to write his story, which ended up garnering millions of hits. The global response to his story and words stirred David to the point that He wanted to do something more, but slightly different.

 He opted to ride across North America again but his twist was that he made weekly stops at various local charities along the way. Feeling that his life had come full-circle enough to write something special, he then took time out to write a memoir, Travelling at the Speed of Life.

When not in a gym or motivating audiences, David can be found smiling in a café and making friends.