The stories of our grandparents stand as timeless treasures, however they often go unnoticed. With the rush of technology and a world jam-packed with distractions, it’s tough to find the time or drive to sit down with your grandparents and learn about the wisdom from their past. As we get older, so do our grandparents, so now is a better time than ever to appreciate the life lessons and intriguing stories they have to offer.
A few weeks ago at a family dinner, I was shocked to learn that my Grandfather, John Duffy, wrote over 300 original songs. This was baffling to me, as all I knew previously was that he taught at LaSalle University for half a century. Inspired by classic country greats like Johnny Cash, Hank Williams, George Jones, and Willie Nelson, most of his songs embody the classic simple form, folk lyrics of the past. This shocking fact was of course accompanied by a series of “oh what’s his name”s and “where was that”s. Here is a snippet from one of his songs, called “He Wrote Like the Wind”
‘Spent weekends upcountry with fam’ly and kin,
one mentioned Hank Williams could write like the wind;
None questioned that Hank had some Irish in him,
And, uncomprehending, he took it all in
Now, here are some stories about other SCHer’s grandpas, grannas, pop-pops, omas, gram-grams, and grandmas:
Sophomore JR Maher’s great grandfather Andrew Schultz pitched for the Cardinals for a couple of seasons, a minor league team at the time. “He was a dangerous left-handed pitcher who threw a deceiving curveball that disoriented batters,” said Maher. “According to my mom, many of his peers said he had the potential to play in the MLB, but that would mean moving away from his family in Philadelphia, which he couldn’t bring himself to do. He passed away in 2014 but for the time I spent with him, I could always find him sitting on the couch at my uncle’s house watching the Phillies.” Despite having incredible athletic ability, JR’s great granddad was always humble, which according to Maher, “inspires [him] every day”
A couple SCH brother’s have a grandparent who built a kitchen for the Italian mafia in Philadelphia. He built a kitchen with a hidden compartment in every cabinet, however for some reason this particular mob boss refused to pay him, so in return, he never found out where the hidden compartments were (take that Italian mafia!!!). These SCHers want their grandpa to stay anonymous, just in case the business he did 50 years ago catches up to him.
Your grandparents living an ordinary life is no excuse to not appreciate them. Each grandparent is 25% of the reason you’re alive according to my calculations, however to some people they mean much, much more. One SCH sophomore, Pat Donahue, has some heartfelt words about his appreciation for his grandparents and their story:
“My grandparents are two of the most impactful people in my life. Due to the fact that my parents were always busy with work, they practically raised me. I wouldn’t be the person I am today without all the lessons they taught me, in particular the one about their son, who would’ve been my uncle if he hadn’t unfortunately passed away. My grandparents, Kathy and John Polec, lost their son, Eddie Polec, when he was only 16 years old,” said Donahue. “Growing up, I was the only boy in my family, and looking back now, I believe they saw and treated me as the son they lost. They used the tragedy of their son’s death to teach me that life is something you can never take for granted and that you should live every day as if it were your last. They raised me in a way to show love to any person that enters my life, because that’s all anyone deserves, no matter how they treat you. I will forever thank my grandparents for being there for me no matter what and for showing me unconditional love.” Pat later said “my grandparents inspire me to be the best person that I can be, and the story of Eddie Polec taught me that everyone deserves love and forgiveness in any way shape or form.”
Love and appreciate your grandparents.
