I've been reading the biography of Pearl Carter Scott (the Chickasaw aviator I mentioned last week) non-stop for the past two days. I've already seen the movie about her life...so I know about Pearl. However this is just another reminder to myself of why I love [auto]biographies so much. They contain little nuggets of extra info that not even a mini-series worth of movies could cover.
For example- the movie told about Pearl's father, George, going blind as a teen. While harvesting broom corn (used to make broom bristles until synthetic brooms came about) the dust got in his and his two brother's eyes. However the movie didn't mention that it wasn't the dust that cause George and one brother to become permanently blind...it was the eye drops the doctor put in. The drops caused their eyes to bleed and lose sight. The other brother hid while the doctor was at the house and his eyesight recovered.
This could seem unimportant to most, but if this event had not occurred Pearl would never have become an aviator. Let alone the first licensed Chickasaw pilot or the youngest.
Pearl was 12 years old when famous aviator Wiley Post landed in the field next to her house. A quick connection was made between Wiley and George because of Wiley's blindness in one eye and George's in both. George became Wiley's first passenger and Pearl his second after her expressed interest in flying. It was that very moment Pearl realized flying was for her!
If things had been different when George was young and he hadn't lost his sight, that day in 1927 would have gone much differently for Wiley, George, and Pearl.
Another thing Pearl learned from her father's blindness is the phrase Never Give Up (the title of the biography). George was a firm believer that anyone could do anything they wanted if they would never give up and put in some hard work. Pearl went on to live her life by that motto.
That was a rambling road of thoughts...but I learn a long time ago to just keep running with my thoughts when they take off. It's just crazy how one seemingly tragic event can become a positive thing in so many lives! Well I'm headed back to my reading :)
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