The Fayette County Public Library and The Friends of the Library sponsored its second “Letters & Literature” dinner recently, and the honoree was Dr. Ferrol A. Sams, Jr. of Fayetteville.

In January 2006, Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin started that city’s first city-wide reading initiative, “Atlanta Reads: One Book, One Community.” Sams were chosen as the first author in the series to be recommended by Atlanta.

Nearly 100 friends and long-time patients were on hand at the Fayette County Library to share the many accolades Sams received.

Sams is a native of Fayette County, and is considered a master of medicine, mayhem, and mystery. He has long gone by the nickname of “Sambo.”

Though the octogenarian will be 84 this Sept. 26, he has not lost any of his verve, vigor and unstoppable wit.

He first began to pen his stories in the late 1970s, getting up at 4 a.m. and writing until 6 a.m., on Blue Horse school notebooks.

His big sister, Jimmie Kate, being the only sibling who could read his longhand, typed them for him. The stories of growing up on a Southern farm in the 1930s were to be put in envelopes and stored for his children and grandchildren.

His fellow Fayette Countian, Jim Minter, was asked to read them through for any editorial comments Minter might make. His leading comment was, “You ought to see about publishing this in a book.”

One thing led to another and “Run With The Horseman” was published by Peachtree Publishers, Ltd. in the fall of 1982 at a hardback price of $8.95. By January 1983 it had sold more than 36,000 copies. In 2006 the hardback is priced at $25.95 and has now sold a total of 75,000 copies.

His second book in a trilogy, “Whisper of the River,” has just been optioned for a film. It was first published in 1984.

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