Sully and the Lost Library Book

It seems that the pilot who pulled off the miracle landing on the Hudson River on January 15th had to leave his library book behind when he abandoned his sinking jetliner. Sullenberger thought to call the Fresno State library to tell them what happened to the book and to request an extension of the time allowed for its return.



KMPH Fox 26 has the rest of the story:

You see, Sullenberger had packed the book in his luggage, which was on the plane at the time of the crash January 15th. That luggage has since been collected, with other debris of the crash, as part of a federal investigation.

Being the good patron that he is, Sullenberger called the library and asked for an extension to get the book back, or at least a waiver of overdue or replacement fees. Sullenberger had received the Fresno State book through an interlibrary loan request at a library near his home in Danville.

Fresno State took the request in stride, agreeing to forgive the overdue book, and even making plans to replace the book he checked out with a bookplate inside the cover of the copy dedicating the volume to Sullenberger.

I have to tell you that I am amazed that a man with so much happening to him in the last three weeks has the presence of mind to think about a lost library book. That says an awful lot to me about this man's character...a true hero is Mr. Sullenberger.