Gerry Daniel Kruger ’67, a Longwood English graduate who taught that subject for 27 years, is the author of a series of books focused on the life and times of a Canada goose who arrived on the pond at her home in Charlottesville in 2000 with a serious injury. Kruger named him Charlie and aided in his recovery, which regrettably did not restore his ability to fly.
Despite that, Charlie attracted a mate and convinced her to give up flying for a life with him in Virginia. Kruger’s books, the most recent of which was published in July 2023, recount Charlie’s recovery from his disabling injury, his multiple generations of offspring and much more.
Kruger read some of her essays on the Charlottesville NPR station, engaging listeners in the gander’s saga. One listener/reader wrote: “I write with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as I realize just how connected I have become to this lame goose some 100 miles away.”
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