yesterday's tennessee

Henry Lewis Sanders

By Lillye Younger

Parsons Poet Continues High School Education

PARSONS, Tenn.—"I didn't think I needed an education and dropped out of school in my freshman year," Henry Lewis Sanders, 20, said. "It was in 1958 and I though I could make it better on my own."

"I worked at a number of low paying jobs and discovered that it isn't possible to make it without an education. It just won't work. I wanted something better and I just wasn't happy in this capacity."

After staying out of school six years Sanders enrolled at Riverside High School this year. "I am taking civics, biology. English II, typing and math," he said. "I chose civics because I wanted to learn more about my country and my government. I especially wanted to take typing because it will be beneficial in my writing career."

Sanders' favorite pasttime is writing poetry. "I began writing poetry when I was 16," he said. "I have always liked poetry. My desires is to serve God and some of my poems are testimonies to Him." He writes narrative poems. Some are about nature but most of them are religious poems.

His poems have been published in several states. His greatest achievement came when his poem entitled "Jesus Loves" was accepted by Young Publication for their anthology entitled "American Poetry." His poem is placed among poems by the old Masters such as Henry Wadsworth, Longfellow, Edgar Allen Poe and Walt Whitman. The publication is placed in libraries all over the world and is sent to book clubs, literary organizations, statesmen and educators.

His latest poem was published in The Duncan County Press, Piggott, Ark., and appeared in the column, "Poetry Pendelum." He received a note from a man in New York, who had his poem published in the same paper, complimenting him on his work.

Sanders has shared his poems with others. He sent one to the First Lady, Ladybird Johnson, who immediately acknowledged it and said she "was never too busy to appreciate the marvelous magic of words" and thanked him "for sharing these meaningful words with her." Other dignitaries who have received his poems are Gov. Frank Clement and Dr. Clyde Narrowmaore, who is connected with the Billy Graham Evangelistic Campaign.

At the present he is working on a poem entitled "The Dawn." He has received a small amount of fan mail. He has enrolled in a writing school for a correspondence course. "My aim in life is to be a good writer, to serve God through my writing and to help my country anyway possible."

Besides poems he writes articles on horror movies and sound and silent amateur motion picture scripts. He has received letters from publishers and producers in California, West Virginia and North Carolina concerning his material.

He is a member of the Tennessee Poetry Society. "I am going to concentrate on a writing career in fiction and the field of poetry. I plan to finish high school if everything goes right." He has missed quite a bit lately due to illness in his family.

"I would advise all who have dropped out of school to go back," he said. "Schools are God given and we must learn more to make this a better world in which to live."

Sanders works at a drive-in after school to help defray his expenses. He works from 4 p.m. until midnight. "I am willing to work hard to further my education," Sanders said. "Believe me I tried laying out of school for six years and it just doesn't work."

He lives with his parents, Mr. and Mrs. J. H. Sanders on Route 3, Parsons. He has three sisters and three brothers.