Who is Roscoe Turner?
That’s the question I asked when Vanessa Ward, friend and former Kiawah resident, told me about a recently published book by her sister-in-law. The title of the book is Roscoe Turner: Plows to Planes. The author is Boots Hensel. The story of Roscoe Turner centers around a farmer turned aviator who flew wild and risky missions with his pet lion. It is an ideal adventure story for an elementary school child.
During an eight-month period, Roscoe and Gilmore logged
over 25,000 miles in the air and the lion was a passenger
during multiple air speed record runs.
Hensel’s first two books were picture books based on real animals from the Little Rock, Arkansas, zoo where Hensel’s daughter Courtney worked until her untimely death from cancer at age 24. By writing stories created from Courney’s experiences as a zookeeper, Hensel has honored her daughter’s memory and helped the entire family heal from their loss.