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DarkSteven -> RE: Male role models and heroes (9/6/2008 7:32:26 AM)
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1. Grosvater. My great grandfather. He lived in Germany and owned a clothing factory, Gebruder Frank. A flaming liberal for his time, he had his daughters taught Hebrew even though only men needed to be able to read it. He also went hiking and mountain climbng with his daughters - in 1900 that was viewed as positively weird. When purchasing reps visitied his factory, he gave them dinner at his house. If the reps were US or British, English was spoken at table. If they were French, French was spoken. He also was progressive at the factory and had showers there. Huge deal when you realize that his workers did not have indoor plumbing at their homes. Those same workers risked their lives to shelter him and his family from the Nazis during the late 1930s.
He died in his nineties when I was maybe four. I heard stories of how I would sit in his lap and tug on his beard. He had a long beard like one of the Smith Brothers on the cough drop packages.
2. Bernard Baruch. Born in the South during Reconstruction and lived long enough to be on a committee on peaceful uses of atomic energy. Made a fortune on Wall Street in the 1920s and got out just in time before the crash. With his wealth assured, he entered political life to serve his country. Advised every President from Wilson to Ike.
Held dictatorial economic power during WWI. Responsible for ensuring flow of commodities to the war effort as well as for civilian use. Prior to assuming the post, he divested himself of all investments that could pose a conflict of interest. Political enemies later charged that he had personally benefited from his post - not only was that charge found untrue but it than came out that he shelled out personally for dozens of young women to return home after an ungrateful country refused to pay their train fare back after the was ended. They had been relocated to DC to support the war as clerical workers.
Baruch College is named for him. His last name means "blessed" in Hebrew and is the same word as Barack Obama's first name.
3. Captain Sir Richard Francis Burton. A spy for the British Empire that went native. He spoke over forty languages (not dialetcs - LANGUAGES) and was able to pass for an Indian dervish or an Arab shopkeeper. He translated the Kama Sutra and Arabian Nights. His translation of the Arabian Nights is considered far superior to the original because he embellished the stories as he went. His copious annotations give insight into the Arabic world of the mid-1800s. He visited the US and met the Navajos and also Brigham Young.
He maintained a LDR with his prim and proper Catholic wife while he traipsed around the world. He kept trying to convince her to try a poly lifestyle and she kept refusing.
4. Otto Mears. Built the railroads that hugged mountain paths throughout Colorado and the West, pioneering narrow gauges and overcoming huge risks. More responsible for populating Colorado than anyone else.
5. Mike Romero. A quiet, simple man who worked as a schoolteacher and became mayor of Lafayette, Colorado. Lafayette was essemtially two towns - old Lafayette, which was poorer and Hispanic; and new Lafayette, which was more affluent and Anglo. Mike lived in both worlds. A tribute to him is here: http://www.dailycamera.com/news/2008/jul/05/leader-servant-and-patriot-dies-on-the-fourth/
6. Bill Cosby. A kid from a single parent family, Cosby viewed education as the way ahead. Accordingly, he managed to get an athletic scholarship for college. He earned some side money by doing standup in bars and became a hit - his Noah routine is still considered one of the seminal comedy routines. His humor was devoid of race and was clean. He spoke of the humor in family life - God knows how painful it was for him to talk about healthy family life to millions of strangers when his own wasn't really anything like that.
His role on I Spy was breakthough. Typically, Cosby was a black man in a role that was not defined by race. His sitcom also showed a family dealing with life's travails that happened to be black but was not defined by that.
He wrapped up his PhD in education during lulls in his career.
He's spoken out for young people to steer clear of the gangsta lifestyle.
7. My father. Came to the US a poor kid from Manchester. Earned a PhD and became a professor. Open minded and always willing to learn, he finally got a computer for his 70th birthday. He's loving being able to surf and to be able to write blocks of text and correct and move them about. Since retirement, he's written musicals and acted in theater, using his ability to do any British accent.
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