The Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library will be hosting an author visit with Jack Lessenberry on Friday, June 3rd at 1:00 pm. Mr. Lessenberry is the co-author of the book, /The People’s Lawyer, The Life and Times of Frank J. Kelley, the Nation’s Longest-Serving Attorney General/, published by Wayne State University Press in September 2015. The afternoon’s discussion will focus on former Michigan Attorney General Frank Kelley; why he was so important, and why his story deserves to be told. The Library is especially thrilled to be facilitating this event given Frank Kelley’s connection to Alpena. He moved with his family from Detroit to Alpena in 1954, establishing a private law practice. He handled a wide variety of cases and quickly became a well-respected member of the community. Two years after moving to the city, he was appointed city attorney.His achievements in this role were recognized as Alpena voters supported him in each election. In the late fall of 1961, Kelley received a call from Governor John Swainson’s office informing him he was on the short list for the position of Michigan Attorney General. He was sworn in as the state’s Attorney General on January 2^nd , 1962, serving until 1999. Kelley’s tenure transformed the office into an advocate and active crusader for the people of the State of Michigan. A Detroit native, Jack Lessenberry originally intended to become a historian, but recognized that he wanted to become a journalist during his graduate studies at the University of Michigan.Since then, he has accumulated nearly forty years of journalism experience in every medium from newspapers to the internet. Among his favorite memories are of interviewing Gerald Ford about Watergate in 1995 and winning a national Emmy for a documentary about Jack Kevorkian in 1994. Lessenberry and Frank Kelley met in 2010, as Kelley was winding down his career as an attorney, government relations consultant, and lobbyist. His impact as a titan of Michigan legal history and precedents undoubtedly inspired Mr. Lessenberry to collaborate on this memoir. Lessenberry’s visit is part of the Library of Michigan’s 2016 “Michigan Notable Authors Tour.” Attached is a poster detailing the event. -- Jessica Luther Development Coordinator Alpena County George N. Fletcher Public Library jluther@alpenalibrary.org 989.356.6188 ext. 25
