John Kaplan, University of Florida College of Journalism and Communications (UFCJC) Journalism professor and Pulitzer Prize-winning photographer, checked out Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird from the library of a Delaware high school where he was a student 43 years ago.

“I was just shocked and aghast that when I started paging through this dog-year-old book that when I got to the back inside cover, there was the fact that I had checked this book out of the Mount Pleasant Library on May 9, 1975,” said Kaplan.

When Kaplan returned to the school on April 20 to give a presentation on his photography career, he knew he had to make amends for the massively overdue book. He enlisted the help of UFCJC Telecommunication Professor Emeritus Hank Conner, Harper Lee’s nephew, to craft a special tongue-in-cheek video presentation for the unsuspecting high school students.

“You have to understand that this guy, Hank Conner, his voice sounds like the voice of God,” Kaplan said.

At the end of Kaplan’s presentation, Conner’s admonishment for Kaplan played over the loud speaker. The disembodied voice asked if he had something to confess to the unsuspecting student body.

“John, I believe my dearly departed aunt would have a big bone to pick with you,” Conner said, explaining that “a little mockingbird” had told him all about the book and Kaplan’s failure to return the book.

Kaplan and Conner’s apology caught the attention of print, radio and television outlets, as well as the school librarian. She accepted the apology as well the book. Four decades of late fees were immediately dismissed.

Posted: April 26, 2018
Category: College News
Tagged as: Hank Conner, Harper Lee, John Kaplan, To Kill a Mockingbird