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triciae_gw

'Feel Good Story

triciae
12 years ago

Today, I received this email from my US Congressmen. It's self-explanatory & the link is to Dr. Gupta's CNN video on Mr. Henry. He's amazing & proof it's never to late to accomplish a life goal.

"Dear Mrs. _____,

Over the past few months, you may have heard the story of James Henry. A lobsterman and fishing boat captain, the Mystic man published his first book, "In a Fisherman's Language," at the age of 98 last year. What is extraordinary about his tale is that Captain Henry was illiterate until the age of 91. Having kept his inability to read secret even from his family, Captain Henry was inspired by the story of George Dawson, the grandson of a slave who taught himself to read and write at the age of 98. From there, he began a journey that made him a published author.


Captain Henry has been profiled in the New London Day, Westerly Sun and recently on CNN. Like many people, I found his story inspiring so inspiring, in fact, that I submitted his book to the Library of Congress, hoping they would add it to their permanent collection. I am pleased to say that the Library recently accepted "In a Fisherman's Language," and that Captain Henry's story will continue to inspire for generations to come.


Watch CNN's profile of Captain James Henry, as he discusses his journey from illiteracy to the Library of Congress "In a Fisherman's Language" (I've provided a link to CNN below...Tricia)

Captain Henry had help along the way. A retired East Lyme English teacher and literacy volunteer from eastern Connecticut, Mark Hogan, not only tutored him, but also helped him edit his book.

"In a Fisherman's Language" artfully weaved together the life of this lobsterman, sharing his stories from his life on his grandfather's farm in Portugal, his work on the boats, a member of the Connecticut National Guard, a professional boxer, and a shipfitter at Electric Boat shipyard.

What initially started as a small project has gained international attention. After the original 750 copies in just two weeks, thousands of additional copies have been printed, and Captain Henry has been contacted by film producers, TV stations, and audio book companies, alike, who want to share his story with the world.

As always, please do not hesitate to contact me if my office may be of assistance in any way.

Sincerely,


Joe Courtney

Member of Congress"

/tricia

P.S. Electric Boat, one of the places Mr. Henry worked, builds nuclear submarines for the US Navy.

Here is a link that might be useful: Dr. Sanjay Gupta - CNN Video

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