| Movie Tells Story of Rural Texas Hero When I interviewed Sully Sullenberger for our January 2021 issue, we were still in the throes of the pandemic that interrupted all our lives. We needed heroes to do their jobs well and do the right things for humankind, not for their own self interests. Heroes who make us laugh when we really need it. Heroes who live exemplary lives and inspire us to do the same. My visits with Sully certainly inspired me to be better, to move through the good times and bad with confidence and integrity, and to be the hero of my own story. Most people know about the famous safe landing of a passenger plane, US Airways Flight 1549, on the cold Hudson River in January 2009, commandeered by Chesley “Sully” Sullenberger III. Little did I know until a few years later that his flying and leadership skills began in rural East Texas. “In many ways, all my mentors, heroes, and loved ones — those who taught me and encouraged me and saw the possibilities in me — were with me in the cockpit of Flight 1549. My entire life led me safely to that river,” he says. Read the full article to learn about his upbringing in Grayson County, Texas, and how his love for flying began and about his career. A movie about Sully and the landing released on September 9, 2016, starring Tom Hanks, simply titled Sully. He’s written books on leadership and “what really matters.” “It’s what we do for each other,” he says. “There are rights and responsibilities of citizenship. It’s not the winner-take-all world that some who are motivated by their self interests believe. There are things we owe to each other. Civilization isn’t possible without it. My ultimate message is we’re all in this together.” — P.A. Geddie | 
