Melvin Endsley, my dad, is one of the most incredible people who ever lived. He accomplished so much in his lif.etime. He was stricken

with Polio at age 3. He spent most of his younger years in a children's hospital in Memphis, Tenn. HThere he leaned to play the guitar and began writing music. From there he wrote one of the most popular songs of a century. "Singing the Blues".

The inspiration this man gives to the world is undescriable. He was bold, strong, and stubborn. He was my dad. I played basketball because he couldn't run. I wanted to as perfect as I could be, because he could only do so much. He never looked for pity and never felt he was any different than anyone else in the world. He was a man who couldn't walk with the strength of an Olympian.

I am so blessed to be his child. I am writing a book about his life. I hope he will be as much an inspiration in your life as he has been in mine.

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