During his press tour for the film Fences, Washington took a trip down memory lane to honor his childhood librarian, Miss Connie. He traveled to Marietta, Georgia, just in time for her 99th birthday, and it marked 50 years since they first crossed paths. At the time, he was just 7 years old, and he had requested a “little, skinny book” for his book report.

An insider at Miss Connie’s living facility told People, “Denzel said to us, ‘You don’t know where the road is going to take you, and who you’re going to meet that will have an impact on your life. This lady had an incredible impact on my life, and now here I am.’ So, it started with him reading those skinny little books, and now he’s making big movies.”