Tom Fudge : Greg Mortenson is the son of American Lutheran missionaries from Minnesota, and he spent much of his childhood in Africa. But in the early years of his adult life, he didn't seem too interested in following in his parents' footsteps. In fact, he had become a bit of a California climbing bum.
But then he took a stab at one of world's great climbing adventures; the peak called K2, in the Himalayas of Pakistan. In his descent from the summit, which he didn't quite reach, Mortenson was separated from his climbing buddies. He became weak, hungry and disoriented. That's when the people of a poor little village called Korphe found him, took him in and cared for him.
What followed makes for one of the great modern stories of philanthropy. It's a story told in the book Three Cups of Tea, a book written co-written by Mortenson and David Rellin.
Greg Mortenson will discuss his book and work tonight Tuesday, Feb. 19 at 7:30 p.m. at the Irwin M. Jacobs Qualcomm Hall. This event is free and open to the public.
Three Cups of Tea is currently the featured book in One Book One San Diego , a program sponsored by KPBS and the San Diego Public Library .
- Greg Mortenson, director of the Central Asia Institute , an organization that builds schools in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He is the co-author of the book Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace, One School at a Time .
