John Wayne received a letter from this teacher and did something no Hollywood star would do today… March 1961: a teacher in rural Montana asks her 12 students to write a single sentence to John Wayne.

His friend,

Duke”.

He seals the letter and sends it along with the projector and the films.

He doesn’t tell anyone. He doesn’t use it for publicity. He just sends it out and moves on to the next film.

Six months later, Wayne is in Montana filming How the West Was Won . A big production, several directors, an epic western. They’re filming in the mountains: beautiful scenery, cold, remote, in the middle of nowhere. One day, filming is canceled: delayed by the weather, rain. The crew sits around, plays cards. Wayne gets restless and asks his assistant about that school. The one with 12 students. The one he sent the projector to.

-Yeah.

-Where is?

—About 80 miles from here.

—Get me a car.

—Duke, it’s your day off. You should rest.

—I’m not going to rest. I’m going to see those children.

The assistant gets him a car. Wayne drives himself. Eighty miles on rural Montana roads. Two hours. No entourage, no press, no cameras. Just him in a rental car, following directions to a one-room schoolhouse.

She arrives at 2 p.m. There’s class. She can hear voices inside, children reciting something.

She knocks on the door. The room falls silent. Margaret opens it, sees John Wayne standing there… and drops the book she was holding.

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