Growing up in St. Louis in the 1950s and 60s, Lee Hendrix鈥檚 parents taught him to fear the Mississippi River. They told him that if he ever went out on the river, it would likely kill him.
鈥淚t looked like it could kill you very easily,鈥� Hendrix told St. Louis on the Air. 鈥淏ut it also looked like it could be a source of adventure and excitement.鈥�
Hendrix parlayed that excitement into what became a five decade career of working on America鈥檚 rivers. His reflections are published in the new book, 鈥淧eep Light: Stories of a Mississippi River Boat Captain.鈥�
In 1971, Hendrix earned a degree in business from the University of Missouri-St. Louis, but he wasn鈥檛 interested in business as a career.
Instead, he turned to the Yellow Pages, and on October 9, 1972, he spent his first night on the river.
鈥淚 didn't really set out to be out there for 52 years to be truthful. I set out to be out there maybe a month or two,鈥� he said.
In Hendrix writes about the dangerous work of starting as a deckhand and later ascending to the pilothouse. He shares stories about what it was like to traverse the Mississippi as a captain of commercial towboats and passenger vessels, including the grand American Queen. He also piloted the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers largest towboat, the MV Mississippi.
To hear more about Lee Hendrix鈥檚 experiences on the Mississippi River including why most boat captains despise the Eads Bridge, listen to St. Louis on the Air on , , or click the play button below.
鈥�鈥� brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, , , , and . Roshae Hemmings is our production assistant. The audio engineer is .
