Robert Bryan
The Flying Parson of Labrador and the Real Story Behind Bert and I
By (author) Robert Bryan
Publication date:
07 January 2015Length of book:
230 pagesPublisher
Down East BooksISBN-13: 9781608932764
Since his boyhood days watching test pilots roar through the sky over his Long Island, NY, home, Robert Bryan was fascinated with flight. Add to that his love of a good story and his vocation as an Episcopal priest and you have the three great themes of his life.
After his graduation from Yale Divinity School—where he met Marshall Dodge and the two created the immensely popular storytelling duo “Bert and I”—Bryan became a minister to the remote settlements of Quebec’s North Shore. In the mid-20th century, the best way to reach parishioners was by bush plane, so Robert rose to the task. He went on to spend 50 years as a bush pilot and minister, logging more than 12,000 hours at the controls. This endearing memoir traces his life and adventures during that time and weaves in his experiences performing and recording with Dodge.
After his graduation from Yale Divinity School—where he met Marshall Dodge and the two created the immensely popular storytelling duo “Bert and I”—Bryan became a minister to the remote settlements of Quebec’s North Shore. In the mid-20th century, the best way to reach parishioners was by bush plane, so Robert rose to the task. He went on to spend 50 years as a bush pilot and minister, logging more than 12,000 hours at the controls. This endearing memoir traces his life and adventures during that time and weaves in his experiences performing and recording with Dodge.
The Flying Pastor of Labrador is so inspiring, so humane and so informative in detailing the life in an unimaginably harsh environment that I instantly gave it to my children and grandchildren, certain that it would affect their lives. Bryan’s tales of the people inhabiting this remote part of Quebec frequently made me laugh out loud and always made me admire their fortitude. This book is a testament to the difference that one person can make. The Flying Pastor is a book for every age.
--William K. Muir
--William K. Muir