Japanese-born photographer George Masa adopted Southern Appalachia as his home. Through his advocacy, dedication, and stunning photography, he helped ensure that large portions of the Great Smoky mountains would become a national park. Similarly, Masa labored long and hard to scout and mark the southern portion of the Appalachian Trail through the Smokies while inspiring others with his quips, “more walk, less talk” and “off your seats and on your feets.”In a Chats in the Stacks book talk presented at Mann Library in March 2025, writer and Associate University Librarian Emerita Janet McCue introduces "George Masa: A Life Reimagined" (Smokies Life, 2024). Coauthored with documentary filmmaker Paul Bonesteel, the book tells the fascinating story of an immigrant who endured scrutiny from the U.S. Bureau of Investigation, harassment from the Ku Klux Klan, and the collapse of both his business and his health during the economic depression of the 1930s—all while making it his life’s goal to champion conservation in Southern Appalachia. Masa’s dedication inspired his contemporaries; it continues to inspire us today.
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