Murphy The Manatee Visits Memphis
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(Illustration by Lana Andrade and Lonnie Robinson.)
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By Nancy Sadusky
Director of Online Communications,
Save the Manatee Club
What do manatees and the King of Rock and Roll have in common? The answer is found in a delightful new book called Murphy the Manatee Visits Memphis. The book is about a young manatee who dreams of meeting Elvis and was inspired by a fisherman’s real-life encounter with a manatee on the mighty Mississippi.
It was James Jackson’s remarkable experience in October 2006 that sparked the idea for the book. An avid outdoorsman, he was fishing with a friend on the banks of Wolf River Harbor, near downtown Memphis, when he spotted something strange. “There was this shadow in the water that appeared to be from a blimp in the sky,” he said. “I looked up for the blimp and couldn’t find it, but the shadow continued to move forward and in front of me. Then it got in position right in front of me and stopped.” Jackson yelled to his friend, and the shadow, which was a manatee, did a barrel roll and popped up out of the water. “Now, I’m an ex-military man,” said Jackson. “But I got frightened a bit as I had never seen anything that big in the water. We were both so shocked and thought it was some kind of monster.”
Knowing the sighting was out of the ordinary, Jackson tried for three days to get someone to investigate. “Of course, people thought I had seen a huge catfish or otter,” he said. Jackson finally convinced Coast Guard staff to look into it, and it was a lieutenant with the Memphis Police Harbor Patrol who explained that Jackson had found a manatee. “The lieutenant had grown up in Florida and said that he had never seen a manatee that big,” said Jackson, who promptly named the animal “Manny.”
It was late October by the time wildlife officials were alerted, which was cause for concern. A semi-tropical species, manatees cannot tolerate water temperatures much lower than 68 degrees for long periods of time. And Tennessee was an unusual place to see a manatee. It is estimated that Manny swam more than 700 miles against the current and dodged busy boat traffic to reach the Memphis destination. With cold weather approaching, it was uncharacteristic behavior for a marine mammal that normally migrates to Florida for the winter.
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At left, creator James Jackson signs books for enthusiastic visitors at the Memphis Children's Museum event. Seated to the left of James are writer Erin Thorpe and Lonnie Robinson, an illustrator for the book. (Photo by Isaac Singleton.)
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A rescue effort was launched to try
to rescue Manny, but unfortunately, it was unsuccessful. Although the rescue team searched the area for several days, using boats, sonar equipment, and a helicopter, they did not have any luck locating the endangered animal. It was hoped that Manny had headed south for the winter, but in early December, a manatee was found dead at Lake McKellar, located just south of Memphis.
“I felt bad because it was having such fun. I think as soon as all the boats came, it stopped coming and headed right for the main river,” said Jackson, who had been out on the banks of the harbor each day to check for Manny. The proud father of seven children, he also took his youngest son, who was very interested in the manatee. When a local artist produced a painting that included Jackson and his friend, a manatee, and Elvis and Graceland, he got the idea to create a book. “I love children and wanted to share the story with all children,” he said.
A collaborative team came together that included Jackson; writer Erin Thorpe, a teaching Principal/Director of 1st Class Montessori School in Memphis; Lana Andrade, a freelance illustrator and caricature artist; and Lonnie Robinson, a nationally recognized artist, art director, and graphic designer. All are natives of Memphis. As Jackson is a music lover and a fan of Elvis, the team also worked with Graceland officials to get permission to include him in the book. The result is Murphy the Manatee Visits Memphis, a story that is loosely-based on Jackson’s experience, which debuted in March with a book signing at the Memphis Children’s Museum. The event generated a large turnout, and Jackson and the team have since been invited to area schools. They are currently working with Save the Manatee Club to get educational information and adopt a manatee for each class prior to school visits.
Although Manny wasn’t rescued, his story lives on in Murphy, and the book’s message of determination and belief in your dreams is appealing to young and old alike. “I’m thrilled with the ending and how it turned out,” says Jackson. “I wish we could have saved Manny, but for me to educate children and the general public about manatees, it was the greatest thing I could ever do.”
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| Elvis and Murphy. (Illustration by Lana Andrade and Lonnie Robinson.) |
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| Writer Erin Thorpe reads the story of Murphy to the young audience at the Memphis Children's Museum. (Photo by Isaac Singleton.) |
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| Buy The Book! |
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If you would like to purchase copies of Murphy the Manatee Visits Memphis, please visit our online Gift Catalog.
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