Dear Bob Cary,

Your book, Root Beer Lady had opened my eyes about how humans should care for each other and the wilderness. I recently read it and was touched by Dorothy’s kindness. The time when she helped her friend’s dog after it was injured by the plan propeller made me glad for my healthy, young dog. There were numerous more times when Dorothy assisted an angler with a hook stuck in their flesh, or some other random health incident. Everyone in the world could take a note on how kind and helpful Dorothy was to all of the animals and people who visited her island.

They way Dorothy manages to survive the cold, north Minnesota winter makes me marvel at the way humans can be so resourceful and resilient when faced with extreme conditions. Humans have a certain character of themselves that defines each from the others, and Dorothy’s was resilience and stubbornness. This is what I believe kept her alive for so many years.

The part that amazed me was that Dorothy never truly left that spot. She may have gone into Ely to help a doctor or something, but she was always coming back soon. Even in death, traces of this wonderful woman remain where she once lived, such as a sign reading, “This is the place where Dorothy Molter once lived.”

The way in which Dorothy only asks for donations and not actual pay for time spent on her island reminds me that all of us can be quite a lot less greedy, and give more than we take. Especially the more wealthy people in the world. There are so many people in the world that are homeless, that have nearly nothing to be thankful for, so we are extremely fortunate to be housed in a warm, comfortable building. The government is so majorly in debt that it’s hard to think that anyone would be so willing to allow a complete stranger to live with them for a week or more, without asking for any sort of remuneration. It amazes me that this woman lives on a very limited amount of money, with no one else living with her, and lives completely off of the land around her. Sometimes, when it was too cold or dangerous for even Dorothy to travel and her friends would have a bush plane fly over and drop supplies. This makes me glad for my helpful friends and family who are always willing to lend a hand.

Dorothy was such a lucky woman to have lived in the place she did. It makes a bit jealous of her getting to live where she did, and then you the author come along and write a book about her and make Dorothy famous for what she did, although she was famous already.

Sincerely,

Matthew Driskell