Just 60 short years ago, when Larry Murdock was eight-years-old, he checked a book called Moths of the Limberlost out of his local library in Linton, Indiana.
Mr. Murdock found the book in a box and decided to return it, telling local news reporters he felt "it was the right thing to do," adding that "maybe after all those years there are kids out there who might get some benefit from it." It appears that Larry himself benefited from it, since he went from reading a book about insects to teaching, researching, and writing about them as a professor of Entomology (the study of insects) at Purdue University's College of Agriculture.
Mr. Murdock has spent 39 years as an Entomology professor, has won countless awards, has obtained multiple patents, has written numerous scientific articles, and has authored two books.
But perhaps his most outstanding (by six decades) achievement has been returning Moths of the Limberlost to his hometown library and paying the $436.44 in late fees. The Library Director noted that Mr. Murdock had calculated the cost to the exact day, and that all of this had come as a complete surprise to the staff. According to Purdue Alumni News, the fine was two cents for each day the book was late, and the book was overdue by 21,822 days.
Better late than never, Larry. Rock on.
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