Valley City  (VCSU)  Gary Tharaldson, entrepreneur and 1967 VCSU graduate, will sign copies of his biography, “Open Secrets of Success: The Gary Tharaldson Story,” in the W.E. Osmon Fieldhouse at 10 a.m., Tuesday, May 8.

Tharaldson will sign and give away 100 books to the first arrivals at the signing; more books will be available for $12.99 after that.

Described by Forbes magazine as North Dakota’s richest man, Tharaldson majored in business education at VCSU, did high school teaching and sold insurance before getting into the hotel and motel business. He purchased his first hotel, the Super 8 in Valley City, in 1982. By 2005 he had built and bought more than 400. In January 2018, he said he was still building 20 hotels every 15 months.

An avid softball player and sponsor, Tharaldson is a member of the National Softball Hall of Fame.