Senior News September, 2003 Vol. 24. No. 7

 

Published by the Humboldt Senior Resource Center in Eureka, California. HSRC is a non-profit community-based organization offering services for senior citizens, multi-generational families and caregivers.

Two chances to attend open houses this fall

Wine, cheese and older workers get better with age

New directory lists senior and caregiver resources

Mary Dennison works on many levels for seniors

Del Norte writers honor heroes

New nonprofit forming to focus on Fortuna senior needs

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Del Norte Writers Honor Heroes

Men
by Darlene Barron

    My hero isn't just one person, my husband who is my own personal hero, but a group of people just like him-all the hardworking men who have always put their families first. They work hard, pay their bills on time, love their wives and children and keep faithful to the example of their forefathers who showed them the way of honor-to always honor the truth, hard work and vows; to raise their children to be loving, honest, hardworking and generous by the example they set; to honor God's place in their lives and homes; and to keep our country safe. These are the everyday heroes. Our husbands and fathers and sons are the backbone of this country-where would we be without them?

Women
by Jan DeGrandchamp

    Generally, my hero is a woman. She has faced physical or emotional challenges, taken on corrupt organizations or the government, and she either wins or continues to persevere against all odds. She has worked on the underground railroad, started agencies to protect others, and has taught people to read.
Last month, one of the founding physicians of America's Hospice system died. She helped change our country's perception of death. She was a hero.
    Because of my vaccine reaction, I am involved with the National Vaccine Information Center, started by a woman whose child has autism from childhood vaccines. She has an established nonprofit agency, speaks with political giants and testifies in Congress. She is a hero.
I hope that a bit of the hero rubs off on me.

Miss Adams
by Twila Biesen

    My first grade teacher in a little country school in 1926 made such an impression that I can still bring forward her name, what she looked like and my desk in the middle of the first row of seats. Miss Adams was a tall, dark-haired, soft-spoken woman, so pleasant that when she talked to me, I felt as if I was receiving a hug. My family moved out of the state before I finished the first year of school, so this encounter was a brief one.
    One of my school assignments in the fourth grade was to write a paragraph on what I wanted to be when I grew up and why. My first choice was to be a teacher because of Miss Adams. Back in Wisconsin once more, no longer living in the country, I continued school in the city. I discovered Miss Adams had retired and moved to the same city. I was about 12 when I located her. Rapping on her door one afternoon, I was surprised that she remembered me and called me by name. She had married and started a family. We saw each other a few times after that. I have always wondered, if I had continued school with Miss Adams, would I have become a teacher?

Eugene Lyssenko
by Sharon McKinney

    As a Volunteer in Police Service (VIPS), I have a partner who is my unsung hero. Not only is he willing to pick me up at home because I don't drive in the dark, but he has taught me a lot about how to talk to people, give directions and make small children friends of the police by giving away Junior Police badges. In his part-time job he puts bicycles together. The ambulance company donated helmets to VIPS so we can stop and give them to young riders who don't have one.
My hero is an avid fisherman, and I have enjoyed many a fresh fish dinner. He brings enough so that I can share with my family. I also have some fresh vegetables from his garden and real sauerkraut that is s-o-o-o good!
    A man who listens to world affairs, my hero writes letters to the editor and to the president regarding his love for our country and his concerns. As an immigrant, he knows first hand the devastation of war.
I asked Eugene Lyssenko how he came to be so generous, and he said, "I love sharing, and the more I share, the more I have to share." I think my unsung hero has learned the secret of life!
These selections from the Del Norte Senior Center writers group led by Darlene Barron are excerpted from longer pieces.