Page 8 - Martin Downs Bulletin - August '24

Page 8, Martin Downs

booK review

“The Book of Charlie: opportunities, and holding on to things that matter. And he doctor for dinner or offered anything he would like to take
had an unusual knack for an even more difficult task: letting
from their cupboard.
Wisdom from the Remarkable go of all the rest.” Charlie had a tough childhood. His father, whom he loved
Life of a 109-Year-Old Man” There were many highs and lows in a life as long as this. dearly, was a pastor. One day, when the man was entering
the elevator in an office building the inexperienced operator
And witnessing them over more than a century through
Charlie’s eyes is a remarkable experience, especially in of the elevator accidentally raised it and Charlie’s father
By Nils A. Shapiro the words of such a gifted writer. As just a few of many, slipped and fell many floors into the empty chute and was
David Von Drehle was many examples: killed. Charlie’s mother was left with five children and no
already a noted writer—a Dr. Charlie White’s medical career began in the depths source of income.
columnist and editor at the of the Great Depression of the early 1930s, when making One of Charlie’s high school buddies owned a 1917
Washington Post and author house calls was a typical way to treat patients. The situation Model T Ford touring car with bicycle fenders, Chesterfield
of four earlier successful sometimes called for the emergency removal of a child’s seats and a fold-up canopy. Several of the guys decided to
books—when he decided to tonsils. At such and similar occasions, parents who literally
move with his wife and four could not afford a nickel in payment instead invited the Book Review on page 9
young children to Kansas City,
Missouri. But he had no idea
when he first met the elderly Treasure Coast Outdoors
neighbor who lived in the
house across the street, who said he was “washing his girlfriend’s
car, that it was a moment that would change his life forever. Crazy Tilefish Rules things further, there is a different season for golden and
For that man was Charlie White, already 102 years blueline tilefish.
of age—a retired physician who had been born before By Jim Weix However, both species are caught using electric reels
the invention of radio and Avid tilefish angler in anywhere from 750 to 2,000 feet of water. Have you
lived long enough to use Sam Young sent me an ever seen what a fish looks like when it is quickly yanked
a smartphone; a man born email after my latest 1,000 feet to the surface?
soon after the first flight of article on tilefish. In short, Anglers are required by law to have a “descending
the Wright Brothers who he said: “I read your device” so that released fish can be returned to their
later watched man’s landing article in Stuart News original depth. However, a Magic Wand might work
on the moon, and whose today regarding golden just as well in the case of a fish that was just yanked up
own medical practice began tilefish. Below is a notice from those depths.
before the discovery of from the South Atlantic This situation is
penicillin, was limited to Council (NOAA fisheries) una c c e pt a bl e . T he
comforting the patient so that providing notice of the recreational season
the body could heal itself… closure of the 2024 golden tilefish recreational season for both blueline and
and continued through the that lasted almost two months! golden tilefish should
discovery of antibiotics and Long story short, the allocation of the total allowable be the same. There is
today’s latest pharmaceutical catch is 97 percent going to commercial interests, and also no valid reason
and surgical advances. a ‘whopping’ 3 percent goes to recreational. Yep, that 97 percent of the
But from the friendship that developed between these recreational gets 3 percent. Not even close to equitable. allowable catch goes
two men, and which prompted this bestselling book, was the The season is closed in the app Fish Rules so no one can to commercial interests
author’s evolving awareness of the extraordinary wisdom claim they didn’t know. and only 3 percent to
and positive philosophy that had enabled Charlie White to Thought you should know, and your readers too. recreational.
survive all that life had placed in his path those many years. Everyone should be letting NOAA know that this This is the sort of Tom Flynn and the author
He had taken to heart the lesson his mother had taught him allocation must be equitable for recreational anglers.” thing that promotes caught a few fish dinners.
from an early age: Do the right thing. What he was politely telling me was that tilefish the idea that some
For David Von Drehle, this became an opportunity to season was closed when the anglers caught the fish. government people get extra financial benefits.
pass along to his own children the kinds of lessons he had This seemed rather strange since the anglers had been Editor’s note: Jim Weix is an avid hunter, angler,
always hoped he could provide for them. stopped that day by the FWC. Their fish were examined, conservationist, as well as an outdoor writer. Jim is
The following excerpt makes it clear that everyone and they went on their way. If you went to the FWC site included in the Wisconsin Waterfowl Association’s
fortunate enough to read this wonderful book can derive for fishing seasons, it said that it was open all year, with Hall of Fame for helping restore thousands of acres
that same benefit: a bag limit of one per person. of wetlands. Jim is a broker associate with The Keyes
“Charlie was a man of science. As a physician, he knew When the FWC office was called about this, they Company. He can be reached at (772) 341-2941 or by
how the human body goes—and how it stops. He was the first said, “Oops!” and corrected their site. To complicate email: jimweix@jimweix.com.
to say that his extraordinary life span was a fluke of genetics
and fortune. Still, as I’ve reflected on this remarkable
friend, I’ve come to see that he was more than a living
history lesson, and more than just the winner of a genetic
Powerball. He was a case study in how to thrive—not just
survive but thrive—through any span of years, short or long.
People often asked him about the secret of longevity, and
Charlie was always scrupulously honest: there’s no secret,
just luck. But if he knew no secrets to a long life, he knew
plenty about a happy life. Through tragedy and loss, poverty
and setbacks, missteps and blown chances, he maintained a
steadiness, an evenness, and a self-reliance that today might
be called resilience. He had a gift for seizing joy, grabbing

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