John Wayne received a letter from this teacher and did something no Hollywood star would do today… March 1961: a teacher in rural Montana asks her 12 students to write a single sentence to John Wayne.

“Mr. Wayne, my dad says you’re a true American. I want to be like you. Billy, 10 years old.”

“I watch your movies when they come to town. You never give up. Tommy, 8 years old.”

Twelve messages. Twelve children, somewhere in Montana, learning about America from scripts read aloud in a one-room schoolhouse.

Wayne folds the letter, puts it in his desk drawer, and thinks for a moment: “Before we go on, a quick question: tell me where you’re watching from. Let’s see which place has the most Duke fans.”

It’s March 15, 1961. Wayne is 53 years old, he’s made 60 Westerns, maybe more. He lost count. Some good, some forgettable, but he never thought of them as lessons, as teaching tools, as something that mattered beyond entertainment. And now, 12 children in Montana are acting out his scripts, learning values, growing up believing in something thanks to the movies he made.

Call your administrator.

—How much does a good movie projector cost?

-So that?

—For a school.

It depends, a 16mm one might cost $300.

—Get one of the best quality and get copies of 10 of my films. The best ones. Stagecoach . Red River . She Wore a Yellow Ribbon . Fort Apache . Rio Grande . The best for teaching.

—Duke… what is this for?

—For a school in Montana.

—Did they ask for it?

—No, but they need it.