RIPLEY, W.Va. — Their parents and grandparents knew him as “The Fonz” from his legendary role in the “Happy Days” television series. Schoolchildren today know him as Hank Zipzer: The World’s Greatest Under-achiever.
“You know what is so great about The Fonz,” said actor Henry Winkler to reporters in Ripley Thursday. “First of all he introduced me to the world, but he is so loyal, he reads Hank Zipzer.”
Winkler has won acclaim for the Hank Zipzer children’s book series. He travels the world speaking to schoolchildren and promoting a broader approach to learning. Winkler is an advocate for broader learning because he suffers from dyslexia.
“I didn’t think it would be a possibility I could write a book because I was told I was stupid growing up,” said Winkler. “But here I am talking to you.”
Winkler and co-author Lin Oliver are presently working on the 29th book in the series, which Winkler calls his greatest achievement.
“We go over every word together. I walk around her office and talk, she types. She gets an idea, she types, and I wait,” he said. “She reads it back and we argue over every word. We’ve written 28 and a half novels that way. It seems to work out.”
Winkler spoke to a large number of students from Jackson County Schools who have been part of the “Hooked on Hank” reading program and associated activities aimed at third, fourth, and fifth grade classrooms. The main character, Hank Zipzer is Winkler. He uses the character to convey the difficulties he faced as a child growing up with a learning disability. His message to children is to never give up.
“I was bad in English, math, and history. I was great at going home. I excelled at walking out the door,” Winkler said. “I was told I would never achieve and here I am today talking to you. You learn to negotiate your learning challenge and you learn to make it work for you.”
Winkler’s message to parents is to encourage children and buoy them. He stressed children are well aware when they aren’t making progress, but they need to be constantly encouraged and reminded they have a special ability which they need to find and deliver to the world.
‘You ask a child what they’re great at, they won’t tell you,” said Winkler. “They know. It’s our job to make sure they meet their destiny. We all have some sort of challenge, but there is not one way to accomplish anything there is your way. The most important thing is that you don’t give up.”