Jessica Luther
Development Coordinator
Alpena County George N. Fletcher
Public Library
jluther@alpenalibrary.org
989.356.6188 ext. 25
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 2nd,
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.
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