Notes

A Town Tradition Becomes a Children’s Story….

“Fantastic Cape Ann Reads event at Gloucester City Hall. Thanks to our librarians, Mayor Sefatia Theken, Catherine Ryan and all who made it happen!” -Senator Bruce Tarr

Once Upon a Contest-Cape Ann Reads Hits The Road

Once Upon a Contest was a traveling exhibit in Cape Ann that showcased the original award-winning artwork and books selected by contest judges Pat Lowery Collins, Giles Laroche, Anna Vojtech, Cape Ann's librarians, and the owner of Dogtown Books, Bob Ritchie. The exhibit was launched on December 18, 2018, with a reception at the Cape Ann Museum in Gloucester and was made possible with support from the Bruce J. Anderson Foundation and the Boston Fund.

Learn More About the Exhibit:

Photo: Woodbury Family Tree, 2002

Inspiration for The Centipede’s Bite

Kunia Pineapple Fields

In 1973, officials from the Hawaii Department of Education arrived at my college to recruit new teachers. I was hired and eventually placed in a school at Kunia Camp, a village for workers on a plantation owned by Del Monte. Set among palm trees and pineapple fields, the school was a remnant of old Hawaii and had less than a hundred students. Most residents in the village were Filipino, and, as a teacher, I was welcomed with open arms. The plantation era in Hawaii has long passed, production being cheaper in other countries. But the spirit of those who lived in it endures. Kunia Camp was added to the National Register of Historic Places on Oahu in 2014.

Photo: Del Monte Planatation - Kunia 1970's

Learn more about Kunia:

Photo: "The Rainbow" (Photo Credit: Maliz Ong-Public Domain)

Kunia Rainbow

Inspiration for In the Path of an Elephant

Photo: Bui Tuong Huan, South Vietnam’s Minister of Education - 1964 (Photo Credit: Camera Press Ltd. London)

In the Path of an Elephant is a story of the abiding love between father and son when the world they knew suddenly ends. It’s based on the memories of Bui Tuong Quan, eldest son of South Vietnam’s last Minister of Defense, Bui Tuong Huan. Quan’s father was an educator first, a politician second. Having earned his doctorate from the University of Paris, he served as Dean of Law and Rector at the University of Hue before becoming South Vietnam’s Minister of Education. Known as “Professor Huan,” he later served two terms as a senator in the National Assembly. When the North Vietnamese Army (NVA) advanced on Saigon at the close of the Vietnam War (1954-1975), Duong Van Minh, South Vietnam’s newly appointed president, asked Professor Huan to step in as Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Defense to negotiate a ceasefire. He agreed and sent his family to Taiwan for safety until he could join them. However, the NVA attacked before negotiations were completed, and South Vietnam surrendered. Trapped in Saigon, Professor Huan was sent to prison, where he remained for nearly four years. Although he never saw nine-year-old Quan again, the lessons he taught live on in his son.

Explore these links to learn more about Professor Huan, his son Quan, and the Fall of Saigon:

Photo: "Elephant Sunset Silhouette" (Photo Credit: Karen Arnold-Public Domain)

Inspiration for The Alley's Treasure


I lived next to an alley on Galveston Island as a child. My sixteen-year-old neighbor, Nancy, lived on the other side. Neither of us had siblings, and, despite the age difference, became best friends. One morning, Nancy said she’d found a map to something hidden in the alley and asked if I wanted to help her find it. Did I ever! For as long as I could remember, I’d heard tales of treasure buried by the pirate, Jean Lafitte. It took us until noon to locate where “X” marked the spot, and I should have been disappointed by what we found—a soggy box of dog-eared comic books and some old costume jewelry. But I wasn’t. Hunting for the treasure with Nancy had been fun. That is, until she started laughing and said she’d drawn the map and buried everything herself! I couldn’t believe I’d been tricked by my best friend! I raced home, crying. Nancy tried to apologize when she saw how upset I was, but I wouldn’t listen. It took a while, but I finally remembered telling her how much I liked treasure hunts. That’s when I realized she’d given me a gift, one that had taken a lot of time for her to plan. We started chatting again, and life returned to normal. But I never forgot that lesson about friendship. The Alley’s Treasure is my gift to Nancy.

Learn about Galveston and its pirate Jean Lafitte:

© 2020 Jean Woodbury