By Caitlin Wolfe
DouglasNow.com
Ken Suttles, a 65-year-old Douglas local, has recently published a book called “The Swim: A Journal of My Ocmulgee and Altamaha Rivers Environmental Swim” and it has been named the #1 bestseller in Georgia Travel Guides on Amazon. This book is an inside look at Ken’s personal findings and observations of the Altamaha and Ocmulgee rivers.
Ken moved to Douglas when he was in first grade. “I’ve always enjoyed it,” says Ken when referring to his history with writing. When he was growing up, Ken says he and a group of friends even had their own school newspaper at Westside Elementary.
After graduating high school, Ken went on to earn a master’s degree in education. He spent a total of 29 years as a teacher, 20 of those years teaching science, and the remaining years as an art teacher. It was his love for teaching, science, and the river that gave him the brilliant idea to turn a boat into a floating classroom. Over the course of 80 trips on the rivers, Ken took a total of 350 students out on the water to teach them about these ecosystems and why they should be protected.
When he was teaching at East Coffee Middle School, Ken was speaking to some students about going out and achieving their goals and doing what they set their mind to. It was at this moment that he had a student fire back, “Well what do you do Mr. Ken?” His response was that he swam. Ken states this is the only sport he had ever been good at and something he had excelled in when he put in the work. It was this passion for swimming and the river that would inspire Ken to spend 13 days floating down the Altamaha.
It was late June of 1997 when Ken and a couple of others started their river journey on a homemade raft at the Fitzgerald landing. Each day on the water, Ken would log his studies and observations in a journal. Occasionally, he would get off and swim with the current to help steer the raft as they continued floating to their destination. On July 4, 1997, they stopped the raft in Darien. According to Ken, the city’s holiday celebration quickly turned to a celebration for their accomplishment on the river. The mayor was even in attendance and granted them an anchor to the city.
Readers of The Swim will learn all about Ken’s studies and why it’s so important to preserve these rivers and their wildlife. This book is something Ken has looked forward to for 26 years now. He states, “I wanted to make sure my grandkids understood what I did out there and why I did it.” The book started as an heirloom, so to speak. It was something that even long after his time, family members would be able to learn about Ken and the importance of protecting these rivers. After realizing that others may take an interest in this as well, he decided to publish the book for all to read.
You can find The Swim on Amazon by searching “The Swim Ken Suttles.” The book is available in paperback and hardcover.