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Grandmother’s legacy These things I knew for sure about Grandmother Addie Sanders: She loved her family dearly and sacrificed for us. What I didn’t realize until recently is the influence she had on our education goals. It was an unusual situation for a grandparent to be so much a part of grandchildren’s lives as she was. Left a widow in 1927, she struggled financially – often living with our family. As we grew up, we were happily never without her presence and influence. Grandmother was a school teacher who instilled
in us that education is more precious than any material possession.
The advanced college degrees my five siblings earned at a considerable
sacrifice were her doing. With my siblings, Grandmother’s
encouragement produced a marine biologist whose research led to
the development of the catfish farming industry; a microbiologist/entomologist
who focused on preserving our environment until his untimely death;
an engineer who takes his company’s technology to Third World
countries; and a teacher who teaches “unteachable” children
to read. Patricia A. Wilson |
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