One of my childhood heroes was Tom Fitzgerald, aka "The Great Brain". Tom was the main character in a series of children's books written about a family in turn-of-the-century southern Utah. This was a time when Utah wasn't just a place where Mormons lived, but also Indians, outlaws, miners and ranchers. This was a time when parts of Utah had the flavor of the real wild west.Mom read these books to us when we were kids, and I have read them several times since. Kristen and I read them last year... so did Creighton.
So, I knew the books were fiction and based on true stories, but I have always wanted to know what was true and what was not. I started the research. It led to a cemetery in Price, Utah where Kristen and I found the grave of Tom and his parents. Wow! This was just down the street from where I started high school! In fact, Tom went to the same school, (Carbon High), decades before I did. He died in 1988. I will always wonder if I ever bumped into him while living in Price. Wish I would have known that he was real and we lived so close so I could have talked to him and heard the stories straight from the source.
More info is at: www.findingfitzgerald.com
I loved the Great Brain, too. Remember the movie with Jimmy Osmond? They filmed some of it in Pleasant Grove and some of the kids from my ward got to be in it, including Joelle's older sister...Hadn't thought about that book or movie for a long time...Also, I learned something new about you, Mike...You lived in Price...just a hop, skip, and a jump away from Ferron!
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