The opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not reflect the views of Her Campus.
This article was written by a student writer from Her Campus at U Mass Amherst.
It is a great privilege to share with all of you the man who taught me everything I know about life, love and the pursuit of happiness. Getting to know him never gets old and sitting down with him and asking him about his life story has been one of the greatest joys of my life.
Meet my grandfather, also known as Poppy.
The interview takes place in my grandfather’s house, a luxury condo in Connecticut on the shores of Long Island Sound. It’s furnished with coastal knickknacks you might only find in an antique shop or in the basement of my grandmother’s house. Sentimental photos of family members hang on the walls and childhood memorabilia hang in frames.
Poppy leans back in his rocking chair, stretches his feet, and adjusts his glasses. He pauses his special, Investigation Discovery, and looks at me.
Tell me about your childhood. What did your parents do for a living? What quality did you admire in your father and mother? Who do you resemble the most?
“I grew up on Haverford Street in the Spring Glen section of Hamden, Connecticut and attended Spring Glen Elementary School. I attended Saint John the Baptist School from sixth through eighth grade and then Hopkins Grammar School for my high school years. My father owned a shoe store and my mother worked in the store and other retail establishments. My father was a hard working and quiet person. My mother was a good mother and working as a woman was a rarity at that time so I give her a lot of credit. They both took good care of me, my brother and my sister. All three of us went to private high school and college and otherwise had a nice childhood with our parents. I am more like my father in that I am a hard working person.”
What is your best childhood memory?
“Riding my bike around the neighborhood after school.”
What was your first job and what did it involve?
“My first job was at Box Shop, a small company in New Haven. My job was to deliver materials to the women on the assembly line. The company’s main job was to package Bic pens.”
Tell me about your school days. I know you loved sports. What was your favorite sport and why? What do you think you learned from playing sports?
“Hopkins Grammar School (HGS) was a small, private boys’ school with a lot of very smart, intelligent boys. My balance and favorite part of HGS was sports. I participated in football, basketball, and baseball. My favorite was basketball. My senior year, I was captain of the basketball team. That team participated in the New England Prep School Tournament. Sports taught me discipline and teamwork.”
Who was your best friend in high school? Did you stay in touch later on?
“My best friend in high school was Don Ferguson. He also lived on Haverford Street. He was killed in the Vietnam War.”
How did you meet Nana? Did you know she was the one when you met her?
“Nana was the daughter of my high school basketball coach. Although we knew about each other, we didn’t become a couple until after I graduated from high school. I must have known she was the one because we got married after a very short courtship!”
Did you want to go to college? Did you enjoy college life? What did you study?
“I went to college because that was what was popular at the time. It was a very enjoyable experience. I studied accounting and spent time playing intermurals – touch football and basketball.”
How did you manage to be a husband, father and student? Where did you and Nana live during your college years?
“We got married just before I started my senior year of college. We rented an apartment on Smith Street in North Providence. I studied and played sports while Nana worked at an insurance agency. Nana got pregnant during that time and your mother was born a few months after graduation.”
Do you remember buying your first home as an adult? Where was it?
“We bought our first house on May 26, 1969. It was located at 269 West Rock Avenue in the Westville section of New Haven.”
Who is/was your biggest influence? Why?
“The person who had the greatest influence on my life was Jack Peters. He was my mentor in my early career and my partner at TM Byxbee Company CPAs. We played softball together for many years. We dated each other. We were friends!”
What are you most proud of?
“I am most proud of being a successful accountant and being able to provide for my family.”
Of course I got a tattoo of your handwriting that says “Love you”. How did you feel when I got the tattoo?
“I was proud that you asked me to be a part of something that means a lot to you.”
What values do you want to pass on to your children and grandchildren?
“Love for family.”
You have already experienced a lot. What advice would you give me as I begin my adult life?
“Save money. Live within your means. Be financially responsible!”
By sitting down with my Poppy and asking him who he was as a child, as a teenager, as a husband, and as a father, I was able to better understand one of the most important people in my life. He told me stories that I will tell my own children, that they will one day tell their children, and so on and so forth. Curiosity and conversation are what keep stories alive, so I encourage you to sit down with your loved ones and just ask away. I can guarantee you will go home with a fuller cup and all kinds of fun facts about your family tree.
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