It took 40 years, but a Florida doctor has finally returned an overdue book he borrowed from the library as a teenager.
The book, aptly titled “So You Want to Be a Doctor?” by Alan E. Nourse, MD, was returned by Dr. Michael Kelly, along with a donation of $500, on August 12, 2016, to the Kanawha County Library in Charleston, West Virginia, where Dr. Kelly is from.
Related: New Zealand woman returns library book that was due in 1948
“I thought that was a really cool story because this book that he borrowed in high school actually led to him becoming a doctor,” said Terry Wootton, marketing and development manager for Kanawha County Libraries.
“He just forgot [the book].
“He said he’d moved a few times. He went to medical school and did his residency out of state, and he’d carried this book with him all the while. He’d wanted to return it, and thought this would be his opportunity.”
Dr. Michael Kelly, a plastic surgeon practicing in Miami, Florida, returned a library book that was 40 years overdue.
Kelly said she had dreamed of becoming a doctor since she was a student at Charleston High School.
“I was and still am an avid reader, so I was looking through the shelves looking for something to read,” Kelly told Charleston’s ABC affiliate WCHS.
“I watched So You Want to Be a Doctor and did some research. It was very helpful because it explained step by step what it takes to become a doctor both academically and in terms of training.”
Kelly said she has wanted to be a doctor since she was a student at Charleston High School. Photo: Kanawha County Library/Stuart Fraser
Wootton said Kelly, who now practices plastic surgery in Miami, Florida, borrowed the book on March 18, 1976.
Last weekend, Kelly was in town for her high school reunion and, with the help of her lifelong friend and Charleston City Councilman Andy Richardson, she returned a book she’d borrowed from the library.
“[Richardson] “I proposed using the donations as ‘educational opportunities’ for local children,” Kelly told WCHS.
“I’m confident the library will put my donation to good use, but more importantly, maybe my story will inspire other children in Charleston to follow their dreams and realize that reading is the most important path to success in life.”
Wooten said that after Kelly returned the books and offered to donate them, library director Alan Engelbart gave Kelly a tour of the building.
Wootton added that there is a $10 cap on late fees. Without the cap, which was 10 cents a day, library officials estimated that Kelly would have had to pay a staggering $1,400 in late fees for returning the book late.