Denzel Washington made a special visit to Atlanta to celebrate his childhood librarian’s 99th birthday.
Connie Mauro claimed to have given a 7-year-old Denzel his first library card nearly 50 years ago at the Mount Vernon, New York Library.
While Denzel rose to stardom, Mauro never forgot the little boy who was so fond of ‘those skinny little books.’
As her 99th birthday drew near, Mauro’s granddaughter reached out to Denzel and asked if he could call her. When Denzel learned where she was living, he made special arrangements to vist her for the big day.
The famous actor had never forgotten the sweet lady who introduced him to a love of reading. “You don’t know how much you helped me. You helped me so much,” Washington told Mauro according to CBS News. “You never know what’s really impactful. You never know where the world is gonna take you. This lady had a profound impact on my life and here I am.”
The pair sat reading together and Mauro presented Denzel with one of her many knitted scarfs.
See Denzel discuss the birthday surprise with Jimmy Fallon in the video below.