Athlone launch for a 70-year-old American story
by David Flynn
A 1950s manuscript which was found in a jewellery box in Virginia, USA, during the pandemic and which was revisited by its now 93-year-old author will have an Athlone launch this weekend.
The Christmas Children’s book is entitled, ‘His Own Simple Gift’ and is authored by Helen Clark Hensley – mother of Athlone chiropractor and metaphysical healer Dr. Mary Helen Hensley.
“After I graduated from college, I had a job teaching English and Journalism in high school in my hometown, Winchester, Kentucky, and I walked to and from my job,” said the author, Helen Hensley, on a visit to Athlone this week.
“I came home one day in 1951 and my mother was waiting for me at the door, and she had an important thing to ask me. She was an ardent member of a music club and wanted me to write a story for her club. I started writing it that night and I wrote till very late. It didn’t have a beginning or an end, but I just kept going with it.”
Helen wrote the story, ‘His Own Simple Gift’, in a poetic style, and her mother and the music club were happy with the young teacher’s uplifting and positive Christmas story.
Helen married Dick Hensley and the couple went to live and raise a family in Martinsville, Virginia.
“Soon after we moved to his home town, my husband gave me a gift of a jewellery box, which had two layers and a secret compartment in the back and I put the typewritten copy of the story in there and never thought of it again,” said Helen.
During the pandemic, Helen’s daughter, Dr Mary Hensley, and her two daughters were in the US and spent some time in Martinsville.
“My granddaughter asked me what was in the jewellery box, and I hadn’t thought of it throughout the years,” said Helen. “She pulled out the old copy of the story from 1951. I then remembered it as the story I wrote for my mother. Mary Helen thought it was wonderful and asked if she could take it back to Ireland with her.”
Mary Helen encouraged her mother to publish ‘His Own Simple Gift’ as a book and local artist, Anna Boles, illustrated the publication.
The opening lines of the book are: ‘The story that I’m going to tell takes place in a town you know quite well. So, in keeping with social graces, I won’t unmask these fictional faces.’
“The story is universal and could take place anywhere in the world,” said Helen, who is spending Christmas and the month of December in Athlone with her daughter.
‘His Own Simple Gift’ will be launched at Fernhill Garden Centre between 12 noon and 3pm next Saturday, December 10