Beginning in 1937, a new book had been tumbling around in Jesse Stuart’s head. It was a book about education—a personal testimony to the teaching profession. In 1948, he finished the book, and it was published the following year. “The Thread That Runs So True,” a classic of educational philosophy and educational history, is treasured by teachers throughout the world. It is the autobiographical story of Jesse Stuart’s first [...]

World War II had been underway a little more than two years when Japan’s savage attack at Pearl Harbor, December 7, 1941, plunged America into the global conflict. Early the following year, Jesse Stuart, nearly 36 with a pregnant wife, tried to enlist in the army but failed the physical. Like millions of American men, he wanted to serve his country and defend his family and his freedoms. Two [...]

Jesse Stuart was born on August 8, 1906. To celebrate his birthday and his many contributions to life in eastern Kentucky, my next three articles will focus on Stuart’s life and works. The late Poet Laureate of Kentucky, Jesse Hilton Stuart, published 2,000 poems, 460 short stories, and more than 60 books. He was one of Appalachia’s best known and most anthologized authors, and his works have been translated [...]