Richardson's new book details how upbringing prepared him for success

If you haven’t had the chance to pick up a copy of Conecuh County native Fred Richardson Jr.’s new autobiography, “From Nymph to Mobile and Beyond: The Impossible Dream,” I highly recommend that you do so today.

Released on Feb. 13, this 292-page book describes Richardson’s remarkable life. Born in Nymph in 1939 as the fifth of 12 children, Richardson worked hard, applied himself and is now the third highest-ranking official in the City of Mobile. Richardson is currently the District 1 representative on the Mobile City Council, and he also serves as the council’s vice president. In addition to being the chairman of the council’s public safety committee, he also serves on the rules committee and public services committee.

Regular readers of The Mobile Press-Register will be familiar with Richardson, who is arguably best known for being the father of Mobile’s New Year’s Eve “Moon Pie Drop” event.

Much of Richardson’s book details how his upbringing in Conecuh County helped mold him into the leader he would become. His father, Fred Sr., died when Richardson was 16, and Richardson left home shortly after graduating from Conecuh County Training School in 1958. After his first job as a housekeeper at Mobile Infirmary, Richardson got a job as a letter carrier at the Mobile Post Office and went on to retire from the postal service three decades later. Going to school at night, Richardson graduated from Carver State Vocational College, Bishop State Community College and the University of South Alabama.

Richardson’s book also provides an insider’s view of Mobile politics and the Port City’s successful economic development and international industrial recruitment efforts. This book should be mandatory reading for our local public officials and economic developers because it gives a blueprint for what it takes to be successful in the high-stakes game of job creation and economic development.

I think most readers will also enjoy Richardson’s discussion about how Mobile’s “Moon Pie Drop” became a reality. Most folks thought it was a bad idea to begin with, but they changed their tune as the event became bigger and better with each passing year. The success of the event was largely due to Richardson’s resolve to promote Mobile in a unique way.

Much of Richardson’s new book also talks about his close-knit family and his genealogy. Armed with a bachelor’s degree in history, Richardson has researched his family history in detail. His relatives in Conecuh County include members of the Richardson, Ferguson and Dees families, among others, and I’m certain that his relatives will definitely want to get a copy of his book for their personal records.

In the end, if you like Richardson’s new book, you might want to check out some of his other books, including “The Genesis and Exodus of Now,” “The Stone Street Baptist Church, Alabama’s First, 1806-1982,” “Tithing, What Does God Require?” and “Imprints, Tracing Today’s Behavior to Past Events.” If they are as good as his new book, you will not be disappointed. His new book as well as some of his others can be bought online through Amazon.com. Copies of “From Nymph to Mobile and Beyond” are $10.99 each.