They Call Me "Gus"
I just finished reading the book about Gus Gray(from the Alabama English post). I have known Gus for a few years now, and he is a great guy. Reading the book written about him opened up a whole new chapter of things I never knew about him. He grew up in rural Alabama in the 50's and early 60's in a very poor family. He was one of 14 children. His "mama" had 18 but only 14 survived. He had one brother who was stabbed in a "beer joint" just for being black. Discrimination was a part of his everyday life as a child, and he knew no different. His family was helped twice by Dr. Martin Luther King for two very unusual reasons. He worked for Fred Hooper for 30 years as the stallion manager and tour guide to Hooper Farm. I highly recommend reading this book. When you come to Florida I will personally introduce you to Gus. The author is Helen E. Wright. There are two copies of the book on Amazon.com.
I just finished reading the book about Gus Gray(from the Alabama English post). I have known Gus for a few years now, and he is a great guy. Reading the book written about him opened up a whole new chapter of things I never knew about him. He grew up in rural Alabama in the 50's and early 60's in a very poor family. He was one of 14 children. His "mama" had 18 but only 14 survived. He had one brother who was stabbed in a "beer joint" just for being black. Discrimination was a part of his everyday life as a child, and he knew no different. His family was helped twice by Dr. Martin Luther King for two very unusual reasons. He worked for Fred Hooper for 30 years as the stallion manager and tour guide to Hooper Farm. I highly recommend reading this book. When you come to Florida I will personally introduce you to Gus. The author is Helen E. Wright. There are two copies of the book on Amazon.com.
6 comments:
Thanks for the recommendation New. I just purchased a used copy from Amazon. I'm currently reading "Charleston", which Dad raved about, but I don't like at all. So I was looking for something new to start.
It's a short and easy to read book. What amazes me is not only that a contemporary of mine, but also someone I KNOW was ever treated like that. I can't believe how backwards Alabama was during our lifetime.
Ironically, there is an article about Gus in this months Florida Horse magazine. It is mostly talk about Hooper Farm and some of the famous horses Gus worked with there. Also in this months edition is an article about Mike and Becky Boyd, local horsepeople that I know.
I'm looking forward to reading it too... and meeting Gus during my next Florida trip.
We just had the pleasure of meeting Gus Gray this past Wednesday (3/31/10) at Double Diamond Farm. He gave us a grand tour, introducing us to everyone. What an outstanding man and what an honor to meet him!
The Lancasters
Jonesboro, GA
He' a character but a great guy. Glad you got to meet him and tour Double Diamond.
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