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Andrew Brown, 11, and grandfriend
Roberta Keith, 84, New Mexico
DREAM DANCER
Once upon a time there lived a young girl named Roberta, and in her Dream Chest was a pair of dancing shoes. Roberta loved to dance and sing. She watched musicals and dreamed of being a glamour girl and singing in a big band. She won a local beauty contest in 1941 and went on to compete in the "Miss Oklahoma" Pageant. She was beautiful and wore dresses made by her mother and sang a song called "Stardust." She was named first runner up! The band that played at the pageant invited Roberta to come to Tulsa and sing with them. Her big dream was starting to come true!
One day when Roberta was at a dance pavilion on a hill overlooking Tulsa, a handsome man named Jerry asked her to dance. Jerry was a professional dancer and was amazed Roberta could dance as well as he could! They fell in love and ended up getting married. Jerry joined the Navy and they gave shows for the troops. After the war ended, Roberta and Jerry bought a farm in Tulsa and made the chicken coop into a dance studio. They called it "The Pink Barn" because it really was pink! For the next 23 years, thousands of young people came to The Pink Barn to learn how to dance and have good manners. Best of all, Roberta got to live her dream of dancing every day.
Roberta is my grandfriend, and she is now 84 years old. She tells me to keep working toward my dreams and never get discouraged. She inspires me to follow my dream. My Dream Chest holds a pair of soccer shoes.
I want to be a professional soccer player.
Caitie Haigis, 16, and grandfriend
Dr. David Kushner, 60, Massachusetts
The loud blast of the guitar chords accompanied by bursts from the sea of heads below echoed across the vast stadium. Closing his eyes, he heard the chanting roar grow closer and closer, "David! David!"
As he opened his eyes, the small, dark room he knew so well, yet hated so much, appeared. The cold and rugged home in Minnesota was a place he anticipated leaving.
Education had never been on the top of his family's "to do" list. Consequently, the letters in books remained foreign symbols until he reached sixteen. Hardly slipping through high school, he found the cheapest possible school, the University of Minnesota. Seeing that broken-down house in his rearview mirror lifted a weight off of his shoulders. He never looked back again.
Loving the heavenly feeling of striking the chords of his guitar, dreams continued to haunt his sleep. Knowing in his heart that his dreams would never come true, he turned to a hidden wish -- to help heal others, one he used to joke about.
Many cups of coffee and textbooks later, David received the best letter of his life. Apparently, potential showed through a rough background, judging by the scholarship offered by the University of Pennsylvania Medical School. Years of facing hardships, the rigors in medical school, and long hours of internships paid off. Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital are the beginning of a long list of jobs impressive to all glancing at the exceptional resume.
He brushes off meeting Fidel Castro to discuss Cuba's health: "It was challenging, I guess. He didn't stop talking for six hours."
Dreams of stardom may be left behind, but no regrets play in his mind. He performs to the audience of his wife
-- and that is stardom enough to please him.
Saudah Minty, 18, and great uncle
Abdul Samad Minty, 65, California
In 1963, my great uncle, Abdul Samad Minty, was exiled from South Africa because he supported Nelson Mandela. As a child in Johannesburg, he had to walk five miles to school because the bus on his route did not allow Indians. When he was sixteen, his best friend died because the nearest hospital was "whites only" and would not admit him. He decided to join Nelson Mandela to fight for the freedom of South Africa.
He says, "to live in freedom is to live with dignity." He angered the government because of his freedom speeches. His goal was to live in a democratic South Africa. When his friend Nelson Mandela was imprisoned for treason, my uncle had to leave his family, and the land of his birth, and move to England. He missed his mother's cooking, and playing cricket with his friends.
He decided to persevere, saying, "I saw this as an opportunity to tell the world what was happening in South Africa." While in England, he wrote letters to the United Nations Special Committee against Apartheid. He worked for the special committee for the release of South African political prisoners. He became one of the leaders of the anti-apartheid movement in England. He helped organize world-wide appeals for the release of Nelson Mandela.
He believes "education is the key to change." He helped set up a scholarship for South African students, and campaigned for the United Nations Trust Fund to help political prisoners and their families. He became one of the few people invited to speak before the United Nations Security Council.
In 1990, he was allowed to return to a free South Africa. President Nelson Mandela made him Deputy Director-General of Foreign Affairs. His motto is, "believe in your goals."
Lauren Townes, 18, and grandmother
Olivia Townes, 73, North Carolina
My grandmother tried to discourage me from interviewing her when I decided to participate in the contest. She said the Legacy Project wanted to hear about "educated folk." My grandma stopped school after seventh grade because you had to be bused to another town in order to stay in school. I told my grandmother the Legacy Project isn't about success measured in degrees or income. It's about learning about your grandparents and their hopes and aspirations. I'm not sure if she believed me, but I decided to complete the project to prove you don't have to be Donald Trump to have a biography written about you.
My grandmother, Olivia Stone Townes, was born in Pittsylvania County, Virginia on December 28, 1932. She had seven siblings. Upon stopping school, she baby-sat and "minded" the house. In 1948, she married Robert Grey Townes and together they had five children. Later, she worked as a "cafeteria lady" and as a deaconess in her church.
My grandma enjoys reading, cooking and gardening. Even though my grandmother doesn't live in a fancy house, it feels like home whenever I visit. She always cooks wonderful southern food for my family like fried chicken, collard greens, and hog jowls. She may not know a lot about history, but she's lived it. She is African-American and attended segregated schools. She isn't the best with the English language, but she does know how to spell the name of her county, Pittsylvania. She had to learn it so she would be allowed to vote. If a black person made a spelling mistake on their ballot, it was thrown out.
My grandmother doesn't think she is special enough to enter this contest, but I disagree. She's a terrific mother and grandmother who has always been there for her family.
Riata Booky, 16, and grandfriend
Ann Miller, 93, Montana
"If life was all sunshine
There'd be a desert below.
It takes some rain
To make the flowers grow."
93.5 years ago on October 3, a child was born to immigrants from Norway. Ann Miller would eventually have 9 brothers and 3 sisters. Being part of such a large family without much money, Ann says that her family learned to "use it up, make it do, and go without."
Eight of Ann's brothers went into the service, and all eight returned. In a twist of fate, four brothers were lost to alcohol abuse. "It was civilization that got them, not war," Ann recalls. Ann has seen the effects of alcohol firsthand.
"Drugs and booze and one night stands
Make a guy a zero.
Don't settle for him,
Go find yourself a hero."
Ann, a master of four line quotes, encourages young women to say "no." "The most important word in your vocabulary is no," Ann stresses. There is, however, a time for yes. Ann believes that there's "someone for everyone." She and her husband were married for 67 years. I commented that this is quite an accomplishment. She answered "What do you mean, accomplishment? It's a miracle!"
Ann finished high school, and proceeded to work at a ranch, a bakery, a hospital, a newspaper, and a restaurant. She wrote a column in Kalispell's Weekly News for 20 years, called "Over Cups of Coffee." She now has a book published by the same name, filled with old articles and thoughts from her column.
Ann passed some wisdom on to me. "Have faith, say no, read a lot, eat healthy, walk a lot, grow a garden, and swim." These truly are the finer things in life, as found by an extraordinary woman who has seen life at its finest.
Linda Yu, 11, and grandfather
Yangzheng Yu, 78, Oregon
DREAM SPREADER
My grandpa stood soaked and dripping before the doctor on a rainy night trying to convince him to come to see his ailing mother. The doctor initially refused, but seeing the hopeful face of my grandpa, relented. From that day on, my grandpa had a dream. He wanted to become a doctor who would help all.
Growing up in a wealthy family let my grandpa receive the education that many boys at his time didn't. So, it was surprising when my grandpa tested for medical school and failed. That didn't stop him though. A year later, he passed the exam, and entered medical school. There he learned of a branch of anatomy that studied the heart. He thought of his mother who had a heart disease, and knew what course his life would take.
My grandpa's life changed after medical school. He was given a teaching job at a top medical school in China, and became a cardiovascular professor. His class was required for all students, so he was able to share his dream with them. He also wrote an award-winning book with a colleague that became a well-known surgeon's guide.
Many years later, my grandpa, afflicted with the same heart disease that had plagued his mother, came to a hospital to have surgery. His eyes shone as he talked to the surgeon after the operation. The surgeon happened to be a former student. The hospital was open 24/7 and the room was packed with people who would be treated. No patient was refused. My grandpa smiled and gazed into the sheets of rain that cascaded around the hospital...
"I have a dream..." Martin Luther King Jr. said these words in his famous speech. My grandpa had a dream and, like King, he passed it on to others.
Kristin Krawczyk, 12, and grandfather
Charles Krawczyk, 76, Nevada
My grandpa had many dreams to fulfill. He wanted to go to college, but his parents didn't have the money for it. He also wanted to play football for West Point, the best team in the nation. Grandpa wanted to be just like Blandard, their fullback. He had hoped to get a scholarship there, but then disaster happened.
While riding his bicycle home one day, Grandpa got hit by a car and his left knee was crushed. The doctors wanted to amputate his leg, but my great-grandfather said no. Three months later, Grandpa's cast came off and he could move his leg a little bit. The doctors were overjoyed! They even wrote his knee study in a case book. He was told to exercise and bend his leg a little each day.
Grandpa thought his hopes and dreams were shattered, but the event actually set a model for his life to turn disasters into victory. He didn't feel sorry for himself. His friends exercised with him until soon Grandpa could run ten miles every day. He made first team for football when he tried out. He played for two years, but got no scholarship, a dream that had not been fulfilled.
Then the Korean War broke out. He joined the navy and played for two navy football teams. On one team he became captain and on the other he became MVP. My grandpa got discharged and next tried out for football at the University of Buffalo. He finally got a scholarship there and became both captain and MVP! He achieved his goals and never gave up.
My grandpa took the same approach all his life. If things went wrong -- and they did -- he didn't give up. His motto is "turn disaster into victory" -- and it works.
Ash Lee Williams, 13, and grandmother
Marcia Ada Anne Williams, 67, California
"I want to be a mother."
These words were the only ones spoken in reply to the question that was asked frequently throughout her lifetime. Most of the people around her had bigger ambitions, such as becoming an astronaut or the president. But my grandma wanted to be something more important and eternal. My grandma wished to be a loving and caring mother so that she may be able to bring into the world marvelous people that might someday make the world a better place.
Marcia began to work on making her dream in her late teens with the arrival of her first daughter. Over the next 15 years she was still making babies, finishing with ten children. With three boys and seven girls, my grandma had great organization and all of her children had chores and responsibilities so that they will know how to raise their own families someday. One by one they moved out and had many children and married wonderful people. They all have their own little roles in the world and are helping keep the world as beautiful as it is.
At sixty-seven, my grandma continues to help raise grandchildren, by loving us and teaching us how the world works and how families function happily. She is happy being a mentor and mother to ten and a grandmother to forty. Okay, so she's not an astronaut or the president or even a CEO to a big company. But what she has become is far greater than those things to make more and more money. Her dream was more along the lines of love.
Sara Anne Ostrowski, 14, and grandmother
Shirley Gage, 70, Michigan
ONCE UPON A TIME
Some people say life can't be like a fairy tale. But my Grandmother Shirley's life has been just like that. Her dreams came true because of magic.
It started when she was eight months old. Her mother left her and her father went to war. She lived with her grandmother and ten kids in a two-bedroom house, in Connecticut. She dreamt of becoming a nun. But at age fourteen, she found out she couldn't because of her many health problems.
Keeping her strong faith, she moved back to Michigan to live with her father and stepmother because they needed a baby-sitter. Not allowed to have friends, all Shirley did was go to school, cook, clean, and baby-sit. These were immense obstacles for achieving her new dream of having the loving comfort of a husband and children.
Shirley had an arranged marriage which, she thought, would make her dream come true. But it quickly dissolved. He was physically and mentally abusive toward her, even while she was pregnant. At that point, she dreamt only of leaving and making a better life for her baby. During this complicated time all she had was her faith, guiding her through the maze of life.
Shirley made her dream of a better life come true, but it wasn't easy. She had little money. Only eating what her baby didn't, Shirley often went days without food.
Later, she met the man of her dreams, my grandfather, Charles. She finally found her Prince Charming. They soon were married with four wonderful children.
Shirley's life has been like Cinderella's, a fairy tale. With her faith powering her over obstacles throughout life, her dreams came true. But unlike Cinderella, her dreams didn't come true because of magic, but because of the magic of faith.
Cody Geisler, 12, and aunt Linda Luke, 54, Ohio
DREAMS CHANGE
"Sometimes dreams change," Aunt Linda said, "but that doesn't mean that you have failed. It's what you do with those changes that count. You're still heading towards your dream, just the scenery is different." I didn't understand what she meant then, but at the end of the interview, I did.
She was born June 10th, 1951 in Wooster, Ohio. Her family was a hardworking, close family of six. "Our family vacations included other relatives. They turned out something like 'National Lampoon's Vacation'."
Linda told me there were things her parents stressed that were very important -- God, family, working hard, caring about others, and having humor. She decided to become a doctor in High School. She entered pre-med in college and was set to become a doctor when a close cousin died of cancer. That changed her mind. She couldn't imagine not being able to save someone. She started working at Cleveland's Coroner's office in the Trace Evidence Department. Now, she was dealing with death, but in a different way.
Today, she teaches, and gives lectures on how to re-enact a crime scene and how to collect evidence. "So see, Cody, my dream didn't exactly turn out the way I had planned. It's better and I am able to use a little humor from time to time, which is definitely needed in this kind of work. All the things my family instilled in me I achieved in a different way. Yet, I still dream. Every day would be boring, at any age, if we still didn't have hopes and dreams to look forward to. Even if those dreams are just to stay healthy. Always dream, Cody, and never give up hoping."
That concluded my interview with my aunt. Remember if dreams change, it's okay. It WILL work out.
Chelsea Jenkins, 15, and grandmother
Johnette Connors, 73, Michigan
A DREAM PAID WITH A SACK OF POTATOES
I asked my 73-year-young grandmother, "Nana, how and when did you know your dream was to go to college and become an educator?" Nana replied that when her mother, my great-grandmother Precious, told her life story, she knew she was going to college to become a teacher, too.
Precious was born in Mississippi to sharecroppers in 1906. Precious went to school and became a dedicated teacher. She furthered her education by attending college. Determined, she left early every Saturday morning, for six years, traveling by bus for 40 miles one way, to accomplish her dream of earning a college degree from Alcorn. Hearing how difficult it was for African-Americans to get an education, I now have a clearer understanding of the value of education to our family.
Nana says dreams are attained by knowing your history and pursuing an education. Precious was proud of her education and profession. She was greatly respected in the community. She saw beyond the one-room schoolhouse housing 29 students ranging in age from
6-22 years, the homemade blackboard and broom, and the used books the white schools discarded. Precious received a sack of potatoes each month for her pay. When she retired she was earning $5,000 a year. That's dedication!
Precious' dedication and determination set an example for future generations. Now I understand why Nana says it was clear to her when she was young that attending college and becoming an educator would be rewarding.
When I look in the mirror, I see three connected generations -- Precious, Nana, and me. I recognize what I see when my dreams include continuing my education by attending medical school. The image looking back at me is clear... education is the key to fulfilling my dreams.
Faryn Pearl, 13, and great-grandmother
Rose Margulies, 100, New Jersey
My centenarian great-grandmother Rose was a trailblazer as an independent woman. She passed on this legacy to her daughter, granddaughter, and great-granddaughter.
As a child, her family owned a general store. Their most popular items were ribbons, which needed to be restocked each week. Instead of using a professional buyer, Rose, then ten years old, took on the responsibility of managing ribbons.
This was unheard of, especially back then. Sure, she was a child, but more importantly, she was a she! People believed that women could not handle responsibility; a woman having a job was unimaginable.
"It was the most memorable moment of my whole life," Rose had informed me. I could see why; her father had given her respect and started a lifelong, yet hidden, dream to become a businesswoman.
Rose later achieved her goal of financial independence. Together with her daughter Janet, who had just graduated college, they came up with the brilliant idea of a stamp business called "MoDa" (Mother and Daughter). It was a mail order business that advertised in popular kids' publications. For a small payment of twenty-five cents, kids could request a particular stamp to complete their stamp collection, which Rose acquired through her business. Sales soared. MoDa became a huge success. The Margulies' house was filled to the brim with requests for different stamps. MoDa thrived as one of the biggest stamp industries of the time -- and women ran it.
Even though MoDa only lasted a few years, it transferred Rose's legacy from generation to generation. My grandmother, Janet, passed on this legacy of independence to my mother Anne, who became a doctor with her own practice. And now it is being passed on to me.
Alana Kessler, 9, and grandfather
Meir Usherovitz, 77, New York
NEVER HAD A CHANCE TO DREAM
I interviewed my grandpa. His name is Meir Usherovitz.
He was born on September 15th, 1928 in Poland in a city called Pabianice. He lived with his mom, dad, older brother and younger brother in a small apartment. As a child he never had electricity. He had a very difficult life and overcame many obstacles.
In 1939, when he was 11 years old, WW II began and his life changed. At this time, the Germans created a Jewish Ghetto where he had to wear a yellow Jewish star. On a daily basis the Germans took Jews in a big truck to go to work. Two years later, the Germans took all the Jewish families to another Jewish Ghetto in Lodz, where they stayed until 1944. My grandpa only knew his family until he was 14. The Germans transported them to a concentration camp, where they were separated forever.
He was moved around from camp to camp until the end of the war. They made him work daily, rain or shine. He was fed coffee, bread, and potato peel soup if he was lucky. Every day he did not know what was going to happen to him and hoped to survive.
English soldiers rescued and brought him to Palestine to start a new life. There he fought in the War of Independence and was a Prisoner of War. After, he settled in a Kibbutz where he met my grandma. They eventually moved to America in 1958.
My grandpa has always been a hardworking, healthy man, and I love him. With a childhood filled with living through the Holocaust and many other struggles, his only dream was survival. He has taught me to never give up -- no matter what happens -- and to always persevere.
Abby Van Note, 13, and uncle
Bob Apfel, 50, Maine
You can't think too hard about what you want to do as your life evolves or else it will never happen. You have to just play it by ear.
At age eight, my Uncle Bob's parents got divorced. It took him a long time to realize that he couldn't fix it; he just had to live with it and make the most of it. After that, he found out that there were a lot of experiences in his life that he had no control over. He realized that there were many traits in his parents that he liked and some that he disliked. He discovered that it was okay to love his parents and be angry at them at the same time. He wanted to be able to have a variety of feelings about the people closest to him and even himself. It took him a long time to realize that his life goal was to achieve peace of mind.
After he realized what he wanted in life, he realized that the best way to get there was to work hard yet be a little goofy at times. And that the only obstacle in your life is yourself; you control your own destiny. While striving toward achieving peace of mind, Bob set up some advice for himself so that he could be the best possible him...
Try to be a good listener -- if you make an effort to listen to others, others will listen to you. Keep trying new things, like Bob did when traveling around the world. Read a lot -- books can take you anywhere. Develop your own voice -- be yourself.
My uncle's goal was to achieve his dream and his dream was to achieve his goal -- something that he has not achieved yet but is heading towards.
Jennifer Peak, 13, and grandfather
Jerome Swistak, 72, New Jersey
Seventy-two years ago my grandfather, Jerome Stanley Swistak, was born at home in Philadelphia. In 1955, after the Korean War, he met Margaret Rodgers and a few years later, Jerry and Margaret got married in 1957.
He was employed as a truck driver for a local beer distributor; consequently, being around beer so much in the day caused Jerry to drink quite a lot. In 1959, my Aunt Donna was born and soon after, in 1960, my mother Barbara and her twin brother Jerome Jr. were born. Jerry then began drinking more heavily and became an alcoholic. His drinking was a problem for many years and resulted in my grandmother and grandfather divorcing in 1975. Because of the divorce, he lost all contact with his three beloved children.
In 1980, Jerry was diagnosed with liver disease and was critically ill. Surgery on his liver was the only way for him to stay alive. The doctor told him that if he had just one more drop of beer, he would die. But that was not the only depressing news Jerry received. He was also told that he would have no more than five years to live.
Jerry immediately stopped drinking and began his mission to turn his life around. It took him years to rebuild the relationship with his children and it wasn’t until their first grandchild was born that my grandmother would even be in the same room with him. Today, the bitterness between my grandparents has been replaced with a kind friendship.
Jerome's life story teaches me that you're in control of your own future and no matter how badly you mess up a situation, there is always a way to make things better. It's a miracle that my grandfather is still alive today living life to the fullest.
Jocelyn Argueta, 8 , and grandfriend
Muriel Wickes, 68, New York
"When someone does something special for you, it is your obligation to do special things for others."
This is what my neighbor and friend, Ms. Muriel, always tells me. And she is always doing special things for me. Every year for my birthday she gives me a present. Whenever I have a question or a problem, she takes the time to help me out. When I am playing outside, I can see her looking out from her window to make sure that I am safe.
She told me that when she was a little girl her family was very poor. They only had enough money for important things. She thought playing an instrument was important, but her parents didn't. They could not spend money on music lessons or a musical instrument. But when Ms. Muriel was ten years old and in fourth grade, a wonderful thing happened. She met Mr. Jones, the music teacher in her school. Mr. Jones must have thought that playing an instrument was important, too, because he managed to get an old violin for her and began giving her free music lessons.
Even during the summers, Mr. Jones continued to give her free violin lessons. "He was the most kind and patient man I have ever known," Ms. Muriel tells me. "If it were not for him, I would not have known the first thing about this beautiful instrument." Now my good friend, Ms. Muriel, has offered to give me lessons. I know that she will be the most kind and patient music teacher there is.
I hope that one day I will be able to do such a special thing for another little girl.
Marina Ramos, 8, and teacher
Anne Marie Dyas, 54, Texas
PATIENCE
"Mrs. Dyas, wwwhere are you?"
"Oh I'm right here, Marina."
"Caaan I ininterview you today?"
"OK -- get the tape recorder and let's start right now."
I started attending Steubing Elementary when I was three years old. I have Verbal Apraxia. Apraxia is when your brain has to be taught how to say words correctly. When I first started at Steubing I smiled a lot, but didn't really say anything. Now everyone says I talk too much. Yes, I stutter, but I can say almost all the words in the world.
When I was three, Mrs. Dyas was the one teacher who went out of her way to be nice to me. She doesn't even have me in her class. She encouraged me to talk, but she never rushed me when I was trying to speak. She always knew that even though I couldn’t speak well, I was still a normal child who was able to write, read, and learn.
I wondered why Mrs. Dyas was so patient with me. During my interview I found out. You see Mrs. Dyas' husband has a stuttering problem too. He stutters with his whole body. The disease he has is Parkinson's (I don't like how that word sounds).
During my interview, Mrs. Dyas never complained about anything (that is hard to do!). She talked about how once she thought money was everything, but now she knows that it doesn't really matter. She says, "If I lost everything in the world, I wouldn't be so sad if I had the people around me who loved me."
I pressed stop on the tape player and the interview ended.
Mrs Dyas' words and actions will stay in my heart, reminding me to help others who struggle -- like I once did.
Jeremy Rotblat, 11, and grandmother
Rhoda Gordon, 69, New Jersey
Hopes... goals. All people have them. When I go over to my grandparents' house, my hope is to have fun. On holidays when we all gather, my grandparents' hopes are to get the turkey in; to have enough food, chairs, and desserts; and to make sure there are garlic bagels for Uncle Jeffrey. It's surprising my grandparents have any hopes for themselves.
Since grammar school, my grandmother wanted to attend college and become a gym teacher. Her mother wouldn't let her. Instead, she went to secretarial school and hated it. She cut classes and forged doctors' notes. A teacher said her I.Q. was high, but she goofed off too much. She stayed for an extra six months to get her diploma. She took a secretarial job at NBC studio. She married, stopped working, had her first child in 1958, moved to NJ, and had three more kids.
When she was in her 30's, she went for job training at OIC. To her surprise, they hired her as their secretary. This helped her pay for classes at community college. She was "as happy as could be."
My grandma's happiness was short-lived. In 1982, her son had a motorcycle accident and her daughter was diagnosed with M.S. She told me that the secret was to not think too much, take it day by day, don't give up.
Sadly, she never went back to college. In 2000, friends introduced her to art lessons. She's still taking them. If she had to do it all over again, she would've fought her mother's decision and gone to college.
Her goal for the future is to stay healthy -- she now goes to the gym. Her wish, she says as she laughs, is to sell a piece of her artwork. And we then both laugh together.
Bethanie Brown, 11, and grandfather
Fred Brown, 64, Maine
A GRAND MATH TEACHER
My grandfather, Fred Brown, had a meaningful goal when he was a teenager. He wanted to be a math teacher, and he did all he could to become a good one.
In high school, he belonged to the Future Teachers of America Association. The principal was the leader of the club. My grandfather said his role model was his music teacher, who was very dedicated to her job.
"She was enthusiastic and loved her job," my grandfather told me. "I guess I tried to teach like her."
Now, you might be wondering what led my grandfather to become a math teacher. Well, he liked math, the type that he had to think about to solve. He liked having an "Ah-ha Moment," as he calls it.
My grandfather's father worked in a paper mill, and that helped motivate my grandfather to graduate from college. On summer breaks from college, he worked in the mill.
"I knew I was going to graduate from college when I first stepped out of the sunshine and into the dark, wet mill, because I didn't want to spend my life in there, which was the alternative option."
And my grandfather did graduate from college. He has two degrees, a Master's degree and a Bachelor's degree, both in Mathematics. He has been successful in his teaching career. He taught 35 years of high school math and is now teaching college math at the University of Maine at Augusta.
My grandfather fulfilled his goal of being a math teacher, and now his goal is preparing for retirement. And when he does retire, I know one thing that he'll still be doing --
Su Doku puzzles. In retirement, he won't stop doing math. After all, his enjoyment of math is what started it all.
Mackenzie Hill, 13, and great aunt
Ethel Berklund, 104, Michigan
A 21ST CENTURY PIONEER
A couple of years ago, Kohl's had a sale where your discount was equal to your age. If my great aunt had gone to the sale, she would have had everything for free. My Aunt Ethel is 104.
My Aunt Ethel could be described as extremely lucky. During the Depression, when many families in America had no money, she was crewing the Duchess from Maine to Detroit. No woman in her time had accomplished such a feat that she knew of.
My great aunt has been living since 1902. As a woman, she is way ahead of her time; she reminds me of a pioneer. Proof is the Duchess trip. Her light blue eyes have seen over fifteen different countries. Even when she was in her late seventies, she visited Australia and New Zealand with her brother, Kenneth. At 104 she still remembers going to Alaska during the time of the gold rush, and seeing pyramids in Egypt, and even riding on camels. She could tell you about her African safari or sight-seeing in Berlin, Germany. I'm also sure she would tell you about the unique experiences she had in Tokyo, Japan, if you asked.
104 years of history have come and gone in her lifetime. She remembers the good and bad times of her travels around the world. Women in her generation would never think of doing what my Aunt Ethel did. Millions of Americans failed during the Depression while she thrived. All of her knowledge and stories of her experiences will be lost when she dies, if they're not recorded. That's why I'm glad that I listened to a life.
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