John Perry - Sgt. York: His Life, Legend & Legacy: The Remarkable Untold Story of Sgt. Alvin C. York

The greatest civilian soldier of the War.

General John J. Pershing, describing Sergeant Alvin York, who later received the Congressional Medal of Honor, Prauthoy, France, 1919

What you did was the greatest thing accomplished by any private soldier of all the armies of Europe.

Marshal Ferdinand Foch, Supreme Allied Commander in World War I, upon awarding Sergeant York the Croix de Guerre with Palm, St. Sliva, France, 1919

When I die, I had rather it be said about me that I gave my life toward aiding my fellow man than for it to be said that I became a millionaire through capitalizing on my fame as a fighter. I do not care to be remembered as a warrior, but as one who helped others to Christ.

Sergeant York, speaking before the First Presbyterian Men's Club, Nashville, Tennessee, 1926

This exemplar of the American fighting man died in 1964, all but forgotten.

Life magazine, describing Sergeant York in a special issue on American heroes, 1997

This book is dedicated to my father, Thomas Perry,
whose love of history and heroes fills every page.

It is also dedicated to Charlton Ogburn, who taught me
by example that true stories, well written,
are the best stories of all.

As so many wonderful projects do, this book started with dessert.

Matt Jacobson had just introduced me to the peerless crme brule at the Capitol Grill in the Hermitage Hotel, a block from the state capitol in Nashville. As an acquisitions and development editor then for Broadman and Holman, he had invited me to lunch to discuss a book project. Somewhere along the way I mentioned that we were in the hotel where Sergeant Alvin York signed the Hollywood movie contract for the 1941 film about his life.

Wide-eyed, Matt leaned over the table toward me and commanded, What do you know about Sergeant York? Thirty minutes later, we had a book in the works, and it wasn't the one we had met to talk about.

In the year since that meeting, we have become great friends, and a new book about Sergeant York has come to be.

One of my first lessons in beginning this project was that the truth is a slippery slope. Two people remember the same event quite differently; reference sources frequently contradict each other; in an honest effort to be helpful, people will repeat even the most tenuous supposition as though it were historical fact. I talked with one group that finally agreed absolutely on the details of a particular event, but never could agree whether it was before World War II or after.

It has been my pleasure to unearth and assemble the details of Sergeant Alvin C. York's remarkable life. Whether or not I have put all the pieces together right, the reader will soon judge. Whatever shortcomings there are in this book are surely not due to any lack of enthusiastic help.

Matt Jacobson, my editor, friend, cheerleader, and drill sergeant, mightily championed the cause of Sergeant York throughout the halls of B & H. His energy and enthusiasm have carried this book through the many mysterious steps to publication. Bob Kruppwho may be the only book editor in America who is also a nationally ranked weight liftermade valuable editorial contributions, particularly regarding the chronology of the chapters.

Andrew Cheatham, my indefatigable and endlessly cheerful research associate, accompanied me on three extended trips to Sergeant York's hometown, made many helpful suggestions during the interviews, and labored tirelessly in libraries, archives, courthouses, and newspaper offices for the good of the cause.

Jack Newcomb, former executive director of the Sergeant York Historical Association, was instrumental in introducing me to the York story in the first place, for which I will always be grateful. W. Lipscomb Davis Jr., founder and chairman of the SYHA, kindly loaned me his father's fascinating scrapbook tracing York's first speaking tour and has been a great encouragement to me as the book progressed.

York family members and others in Fentress County, Tennessee, were unfailingly generous with their time. Andrew Jackson York, who lives across from the old York homeplace on the Wolf River, keeps the memory of his father very much alive with his informal tours of the house and grounds, and the rich store of reminiscences he willingly shares with nosy writers. Thanks also to him and Helen for the loan of their York family photographs.

George Edward Buxton York, recently retired as a pastor, took time out from his wedding preparations (congratulations, LaVerta!) to add his unique insights to the story of his father. Betsy Ross York Lowery insisted she never tired of driving from Bowling Green, Kentucky, to meet me at Andy's house. I hope she was telling the truth; she and Howard have my sincerest thanks.

I am also obliged to Woodrow Wilson York for our one brief but informative telephone conversation.

Special thanks to Elva Jean York Clouse, the sergeant's niece and oldest living relation, who heard of this book and sought me out. Her memory was surpassed only by her generosity in insisting I accept the gift of a note from the sergeant she had kept as a memento since 1951. I want you to have it because I know you'll appreciate it, she said. I couldn't find the words to reply at the time; here's hoping this book will serve as my answer.

There were other gifts. Ernest Buck, once principal of the York Institute, forged a living link with history by sharing his eyewitness account of Sergeant York's wedding, which he attended as a boy of six. He also sent me on my way with a handful of prize-winning tomatoes.

Wilma Reagan Pinckley, a member of the first York Institute graduating class and widow of the sergeant's doctor, generously offered archival newspaper articles and other information taken from her own books about the history of Fentress County.

Leo Hatfield, whose memory for detail is astonishing, added depth and feeling to this work with stories of his and York's hunting trips and other adventures together. Bradley Cook also helped brighten the narrative with remembrances of York's land dealings, the early days of York Chapel, and much more.

Thanks too to Mancil Johnson at the Tennessee Technological University archives in Cookeville, Tennessee; Dr. Doug Young, principal of the York Institute, for his valuable insights; Brenda Williams, librarian at the York Institute, for her many courtesies; Faye Stephens at the Fentress County Courthouse for guiding me through a maze of legal records; Billy and Pat Conatser for their hospitality during my stays in Pall Mall; and to Miller Leonard for helping with Fentress County logistics early on.

Far from the Tennessee hills, I owe a debt of gratitude to Leith Adams at the Warner Brothers corporate archive; to Stewart Ng and others at the USC library for their efficiency and encouragement; to Ken Wales for his introduction to the corporate side of Hollywood (and his whirlwind tour of the Warner Brothers lot); and to the courteous and resourceful people at the reference library of the Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences. Thanks also to Sofa Entertainment for permission to use a quotation from The Ed Sullivan Show.

Near the end of the trail I came across an unexpected delight in the person of Arthur Story Bushing, son of Arthur Samuel Bushing, York's longtime friend and supporter. I had seen him give a masterful interview on an archival videotape at Tennessee Tech. On a wild hunch I called directory assistance in Maryville, Tennessee, where Dr. Bushing was teaching at the time of his interview in 1988, then called the only Arthur Bushing in town. Ever since he answered the phone that day last spring, he has contributed mightily to this effort.