Brian L. Dunsirn is a repeat client with Modern Memoirs. In 2000, he and his brother commissioned the publication of I Dunno, the memoir of their father, Bob Dunsirn. In 2024, Brian L. Dunsirn returned to publish his own Commissioned Memoir entitled The Sky’s the Limit. The recent project took one year and two months from the day we started it to the day books arrived on his doorstep. We asked Dunsirn to reflect on what the publication process was like for him both times, and what it has meant to share these books with others.
1. What has been the importance to you and other descendants of your father to have his life stories gathered and preserved in a book?
Brian Dunsirn: I feel fortunate that we were able to capture many of the incredible stories from my father’s life. Picking up his book and rereading chapters reminds me of his humble beginnings and how he forged ahead in difficult times to ultimately achieve the American dream. His life was a catalyst for me to achieve and to believe that anything is possible, especially during times of difficulty. I highly value his memoir because it was something he completed at my request. It was done for his children and their families, reminding them of the values and goals he believed in.
2. How did you want your memoir to be similar to his? How did you want it to be different?
Brian Dunsirn: In many ways my father’s memoir was a history of his life challenges. It also communicated his love for his family. The rough childhood and war years had an impressionable impact that shaped his drive and desire to survive. I wanted my book to reflect how I was able to take my dad’s foundation and build on it, both with love of family and entrepreneurial drive, to succeed in business. The objective of my book was to help my grandchildren understand that although we faced challenges along the way, we learned from those struggles and built a lasting legacy of love, financial success, happiness, and a true belief that “the sky’s the limit.”
3. How was your book enhanced by having your wife, Susan Dunsirn, contribute chapters?
Brian Dunsirn: It helped convey how we worked with each other to achieve family goals and aspirations. Partnering together to write my memoir was similar to how we partner in life. Love for each other and support of our daughters, and now of our grandchildren, provides satisfaction beyond our dreams.
“Recalling the many people throughout my life who helped me along the way was incredibly fulfilling.”
4. In the preface to your memoir, you say that the title, The Sky’s the Limit, is a metaphor for your entire life. How is that so?
Brian Dunsirn: My personal philosophy is that anything is possible if you have the passion, skills, and drive to achieve. Learning how to fly an airplane at the age of 44 has enhanced my life in many ways. It reinforced my belief that “starting with the end in mind” has consistently produced results for me and my family. Founding, growing, and eventually selling several businesses allowed me to learn what is ultimately possible.
I Dunno (Modern Memoirs 2000), the memoir of Bob Dunsirn, Brian Dunsirn’s father
5. You jumpstarted your project by writing with Storyworth. What made you want to move beyond that platform to engage Modern Memoirs’ services, including interviews, editing, and design?
Brian Dunsirn: Ever since helping my dad with his memoir in 2000, I had a desire to document my own life stories. Eighteen months before contacting Modern Memoirs, my daughter gifted a Storyworth subscription to me. I wrote a few paragraphs to each of the weekly questions sent by Storyworth. At the end of the year, I had a collection of around 50 short life stories. Although interesting, there was no real connection between stories, just questions and answers. I wanted something more comprehensive, a novel so to speak. I knew that Megan and her team could help me with this challenge. I created an outline of the major parts of my life that I wanted to communicate to my audience of family, friends, and business associates. We used the collection of Storyworth questions and answers as a foundation for many of the chapters in my book.
As I look back at the experience of publishing The Sky’s the Limit, my initial desire was to help my family understand what I did to achieve success and happiness in my first 65 years of life. I didn’t expect the feeling of satisfaction received from the process itself. Recalling the many people throughout my life who helped me along the way was incredibly fulfilling. As I presented final copies of my book to many of these “life-long friends,” they were thankful for the recognition, and I was pleased to communicate my appreciation.
Liz Sonnenberg is staff genealogist for Modern Memoirs, Inc.