How to get your library fees waived? Ask Sully.
This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.
Pilot Chesley “Sully†Sullenberger is not just an aeronautic hero; he’s a library patron.
Sullenberger is the man who was behind the controls of the U.S. Airways flight that safely crash-landed in the Hudson River in January. The remarkable landing brought Sully immediate acclaim, with a spontaneous fan club on Facebook rapidly reaching 10,000 and his hometown Danville, Calif., holding a celebration in his honor. These demonstrations of affection were due, in no small part, to the fact that the pilot made sure every single passenger got off the airplane safely.
But he left one thing behind: a library book.
Borrowed through a local Danville branch library, the book -- reportedly on professional ethics -- belonged to CSU Fresno. Realizing that the book was now swimming with the fishes, Sullenberger asked if the fees could be waived.
The library, sensibly, said why yes, they could do that for him.
Which means the next time you have late fees at the library, if you’ve got a good reason -- a really, really, good reason, like successfully ditching an engineless plane in a near-freezing river and saving more than 150 lives -- they might be forgiven.
-- Carolyn Kellogg
