When well-known evangelist Leighton Ford began writing a book dedicated to his late wife Jean, he never imaged it would have a connection to Chatham, where he was raised after being adopted while still an infant.

Ford’s latest book, Like a Gentle River: The Life and Witness of Jean Ford, has been printed at Instant Print and Promo in Chatham, which is owned and operated by David Dawson.

A resident of Charlotte, NC, for decades, Ford was surprised when his editor Ken Garfield found a printer in the city in which Ford grew up.

“I couldn’t believe,” he said. “I didn’t know about David Dawson and the printing up there.

“They did a beautiful, beautiful job, absolutely gorgeous,” he added.

Dawson, who is a member of the National Print and Sign Owners’ Association, saw a printer was being s

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