STEVE INSKEEP, Host:
It is Friday morning, which means, among other things, that it's time again for StoryCorps, the national project capturing the stories of everyday Americans, including this one. In 1951, a massive blizzard hit the southern United States, blanketing the region with ice and snow. At the time, Jim Fleming was a high-school student in Greenwood, Mississippi, and he recalls how he occupied his time during the snow days.
D: But now here's the corollary to that story. When I got to Vanderbilt in my freshman year, we studied biology. When it came time for the final exam, I sat down; there was a question said, write the animal kingdom. And I sat down and wrote that blue book, wrote it full. A couple of days later, Dr. Farrell called me in. He said, no one can write the animal kingdom like that; you copied out of a book. I said, no, Dr. Farrell, I did not. So, he says, sit down right here and show me.
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D: So, I wrote the animal kingdom. By that time, you know, I knew it very well.
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D: And when I got into practice, I got a call one night from the Vanderbilt Emergency Room. So, I got over there and assessed this girl and said, you know, I need to take her to surgery. Nurse said, well, you need to talk to her father. So, I went out there to talk to the father, and there was Dr. Farrell. And he looked at me and he said, animal kingdom, aren't you, boy?
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D: He said, well, you're OK; you go ahead and operate on my daughter.
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INSKEEP: Dr. Jim Fleming's story will be archived, along with all the other StoryCorps interviews, at the Library of Congress. You can read more stories in the StoryCorps book, which is called "Listening Is an Act of Love." And you can subscribe to the StoryCorps podcast at npr.org.
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INSKEEP: This is NPR News.