Tom Brings Fletcher’s Manuscript Alive

My sister Jeanne’s husband Fletcher began writing his autobiography years ago in dribs and drabs. At one point I transcribed a large piece from his long-hand legal pad scrawlings and found myself transported through a life that couldn’t have been more opposite than my experience. He was a black man raised in the 30’s and 40’s in New Jersey, spoke three languages, and received his medical degrees in Europe. I was mesmerized by his story telling style and attention to detail.

A dear family friend with experience in ethnic studies and writing recently came forward to fulfill a promise he had made years ago to Fletcher to help organize his rough material. My sister and I got down to business and cleaned out the storage bin where we had deposited boxes full of Ric and Fletcher’s stuff three years ago. Our intent to gradually sift through the boxes never materialized so this was a great impetus to bring everything home and go through it. This pile of empty boxes are the fruits of the time I spent in May and June reorganizing and letting go of stuff while Jeanne found all of Fletcher’s written material for Tom to work with.

Tom made the trip to The Number Nine to gather up Fletcher’s material and make a plan to put it all together in a manageable presentation. He delivered that manuscript within a month and met us in Montana to talk with Fletcher’s boys and discuss his evaluation of the product.

From an academic view Tom pointed to the value of Fletcher’s story for its clear description of the demographics of his childhood neighborhood and his struggle to make his dream of being a doctor come true in difficult circumstances. To us this manuscript is priceless and each member of our family revels in knowing Fletcher a little better through his own words. In a larger sense, he touches upon so many issues from the time of his growing up and how the importance of his spirit and upbringing moved his family’s prospects forward. I remember him saying “just keep moving forward”.

So now we have his manuscript and prospects for publishing. But most importantly we have Fletcher in his words thanks to Tom Trzyna.