Acts of kindness can have long-range impact

By Paul Fugleberg / Leader staff

You never know what long range implications an act of kindness or response to an emergency situation might have.

What brings that thought to mind was a recent brief item in the Leader's supplement "American Profile" that mentioned Sky King (Kirby Grant).

Probably around 1940, Kirby Grant Hoon rented a house from my folks in the Hollywood Hills. At the time he was trying to break into the movies and was playing violin in a Blondie and Dagwood movie.

My brother Norman, about three years old, was quite sick with a cold and cough and our mother gave him a dose of what she thought was cough syrup. It turned out to be camphorated oil instead. Terrified, she called the doctor's office about four miles away and he told her to bring him in immediately. She sent me next door to see if Kirby Hoon would rush us to the office.

"Let's go," he said, and we climbed into his big Buick and he rushed us to the doctor. Norman was already unconscious by the time we got there. After his stomach was pumped out he survived with no ill effects.

What would have happened if Kirby had not been available and willing to respond and Norm would have died?

For one thing, countless thousands of lives would not have been touched through the books, tapes, video series and counseling ministry of H. Norman Wright. Norm's my half-brother — same mom, different dads, hence the difference in names.

Over the decades he's written over 70 books, many dealing with marriage, communications, grief recovery and other difficult areas — some about more pleasurable topics such as gift books on bass fishing, dogs, and cats. To date, several millions of copies of his books have been sold, including some translations in Norwegian, Spanish and Chinese. And he's still writing.

His grief counseling expertise has resulted in calls requesting his help following the 9-11 terrorist attack in New York, the Hurricane Katrina disaster, the shooting in recent weeks at a Colorado Springs church, and response to such incidents as bank robberies and other crimes.

I've always felt that Kirby Hoon's fast, willing response saved Norman's life.

After Kirby became known as Kirby Grant and his movie and TV roles as Sky King, he eventually bought the Carson and Barnes Circus and traveled with the circus around the country. After an appearance in Polson, I went up behind him and tapped him on the shoulder and said, "Kirby Hoon, your past is catching up to you."

He turned with a questioning look and I introduced myself and told him how he'd saved my brother's life. He couldn't remember the incident! As I said, you sometimes haven't the slightest idea of how an act of kindness or emergency response can have a long range impact.