Asa Jennings
Asa Kent Jennings was a Methodist pastor from upstate New York and a member of the YMCA. In 1904, while in his twenties, Jennings was struck down by Pott's disease, a type of tuberculosis which affects the spine. As a result of his tuberculosis, he stood not much taller than 5 foot and with a noticeable hunch back. In 1922, he commanded the evacuation of 350,000 helpless refugees from the shores of Smyrna in Turkey following the Great Fire of Smyrna. For his work, Greece awarded Jennings its highest civilian honor, the Cross of the Order of the Redeemer, and the highest war honor, the medal of Military Merit. In 1945, MGM Studios made a 10-minute short film based on the life of Asa Jennings.
