Robert Bryan: The Flying Parson of Labrador and the Real Story Behind Bert and I

Since his boyhood days watching test pilots roar through the sky over his Long Island, NY, home, Robert Bryan was fascinated with flight. Add to that his love of a good story and his vocation as an Episcopal priest and you have the three great themes of his life.
After his graduation from Yale Divinity School—where he met Marshall Dodge and the two created the immensely popular storytelling duo “Bert and I”—Bryan became a minister to the remote settlements of Quebec’s North Shore. In the mid-20th century, the best way to reach parishioners was by bush plane, so Robert rose to the task. He went on to spend 50 years as a bush pilot and minister, logging more than 12,000 hours at the controls. This endearing memoir traces his life and adventures during that time and weaves in his experiences performing and recording with Dodge.

An Episcopal minister and bush pilot, Robert Bryan founded the Quebec-Labrador Foundation, which for going on fifty years has conducted programs in education, community service, and environmental resource management in northern Maine and eastern Canada. Bryan is also the co-creator (with Marshall Dodge) of the iconic Maine comedy and storytelling act Bert and I. The combined Bert and I recordings have sold well over one million copies. Robert Bryan lives in Quebec and Ipswich, Massachusetts.