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Fred Lee's Casey Jones: A National Hero

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Think about all the influential people you know from the Mississippi Delta region. I bet you can’t name one past sports stars or recent movies. I bet you can’t even think of more than one famous person from the Delta region from before World War II. In the rapid pace of today’s life, some local important historical occurrences may be unknown or forgotten. Next generations may not understand the impact of local heroes. Understanding that local heroes have come from your own community can provide inspiration to achieve beyond your assumed abilities. Casey Jones was one such hero who set records for providing excellence in his everyday life. Casey Jones had so much passion for his job, that he even gave his life for it. Before you automatically …show more content…
Let’s begin by going back all the way to 1863 in Kentucky.) Casey Jones entire life was centered on the railroads and the Mississippi Delta region. According to historian Fred Lee’s book, “Casey Jones: the Epic of the American Railroad,” Casey Jones had an ordinary life. Jonathan Luther “John” “Casey” Jones was born March 14, 1863 in Jackson, Tennessee. His childhood and He got the nickname “Casey” because as a boy, he grew up near Cayce, Kentucky, which he later chose to spell as “Casey.” He lived near Jackson, TN with his wife and three children. According to “Railroad Avenue” by railroad historian Freeman Hubbard, Casey Jones was well known for excellence in his profession with the railroad. Casey’s entire professional life was related to the railroads. He was promoted to engineer, his lifelong goal, on February 23, 1891. Jones worked for the best of the best in the railroad profession as a crack locomotive engineer for IC. Railroading. According to railroad historians, he was very good at what he did and was recognized by his peers as one of the best engineers in the business. He was so punctual, it was said that people set their

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