My Grandpa once told me that when he was a little boy, (circa 1914,) his dream was to be a truck driver. He imagined that that was the most glorious job anyone could ever have. I thought, “why?” Without missing a beat, he said, “Because a truck driver got to see the whole world.” At the time, I didn’t appreciate what he meant. I grew up with all the modern conveniences, and took them for granted. He didn’t have those things until much later in his life than I did mine. He didn’t get the education that I did. He never attended college. But my Gramps was a smart man… a self educated man. He built his house- the one my mother grew up in- with his own hands. He wired it for electricity, and laid the pipes for plumbing himself. I loved that house. It was where my most fond childhood memories were made. It was many years after his passing that I found out that he had been Chief Engineer at Mountain Oil & Gas in Salt Lake City, Utah, a title he was reluctant to accept. He felt that someone who had earned a degree was more deserving of it. My Gramps was a modest man. A simple, hard working guy who managed to provide for his family during some of the toughest decades this nation has known. He knew the importance of an education, and made me promise I’d finish mine. He had a heart of gold, and a kind soul. He was known for his Apple pie, as am I. He was and continues to be, an inspiration to me.
