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My Hero Story

My Hero: Dr. Gerald Grant

By Colin Grant

The person in my life who has had the most impact and who has helped me the most is Dr. Gerald Grant. My hero was born in 1969.  I also call him dad. My dad is more than a dad, he is my hero. My dad works at Duke university as a neurosurgeon. He gets up early in the morning to go to work and usually comes home late at night right before I go to bed. I love the weekends because he only has to leave in the morning and go and see each of his patients. On the weekend he gets home at about lunchtime and we have a family lunch. My dad grew up in Rockaway, NJ. He had an older brother named Tim. Tim and my dad were very competitive with each other, so they weren’t always nice to each other. My dad was always smaller and still is smaller than Tim. My dad is six foot two and his brother is six foot five. My dad took karate during his childhood so that he was able to compete with his brother. Also he played the piano through middle school. My dad played a lot of little league sports when he was young. The one that he played the most was basketball. He really wanted to play basketball in high school but he wasn’t tall enough to make the team.

In high school my dad decided that he wanted to get involved with medicine. He was inspired by his mom who was a nurse. Also during high school he volunteered to help out in the emergency room to get to know more about what you needed to be a doctor. My dad went to college at Duke University and since my dad couldn’t play sports, he got very interested in band. He played the alto saxophone all of his four years. He had to work hard, but it paid off because he got to go to many Duke football and basketball games, including two final fours. Also my dad was very dedicated to his academics and getting good grades. My dad never got a bad grade in college except for the time that he took a scuba diving class.

My dad is a very determined person. My dad was always determined to get good grades throughout his school career and he did. He leaves for work early and arrives ahead of schedule every day. He also works very late into the night, sometimes getting home around ten thirty. My dad saves many children’s lives each day. He also has to leave for many trips for workevery month and some are out of the country. Even though I do not see him that much, he still is determined to get home and spend time with my brother, my sister, my mom and me.

My dad is also a very confident person with his ideas. One time, when my dad had to serve in Iraq as a doctor, he was there for four months. Even though he was away and working ninety nine percent of the time, he would to call us almost every night. When he was in Iraq, there was a big jeep that was blown up by a mine. Everybody in the jeep was severely injured. They flew everyone that was in the jeep back in a helicopter. The soldier who was driving the jeep got a mine shell stuck in his head. Everyone thought that he was going to die and no one thought that it was worth it to operate on him. Everyone thought it was a waste of supplies.  My dad was very confident and took the risk. He had to operate very quickly but carefully. Also, in order to remove the shell, he had to take part of the soldier’s skull out. He was very confident that he could make him better even though the surgery was very difficult. After the operation, most of the supplies that my dad used had almost run out. Later, the soldier was sent back to the United States to recuperate. After my dad returned from Iraq, he had to take a trip to Washington D.C. for a work meeting. While he was at the hospital where the meeting was being held, he got to see the soldier that he had operated on. The soldier was there getting a replacement for the part of his skull that my dad had to take out. In the war hospitals, after a doctor would operate on someone, the doctor would never get to see that person again or be thanked for it. So when my dad got to see him again it was really reassuring. He knew that his confidence paid off and operating on the soldier was the right choice.

Also my dad is a very caring and fun person. My dad cares for a lot of different children where he works, but he also cares for me. My dad gets all the time he can to have fun with me. He takes me on skiing trips, he takes me zip lining, and he makes time to have fun even though his work schedule is very busy. While doing this he also cares for me. He makes the most out of the time he has with me.

My dad is my hero because he is a very determined, confident, caring, and fun person. I admire him very much. I admire him because he works very hard every day and saves lives. I also admire him because he still comes home and spends time with me. I want to be like him when I grow up.

Hero Book & Story (Drew)

This is my hero book, talking about a person I look up to.

Here is the story:

My Hero: Richard Hantzmon

by Drew H.

My hero is Richard Hantzmon. He was born in Garfield Memorial Hospital in Washington, DC. My grandfather was very educated and he graduated second in his class, from  the University of Virginia. He continued on to the University of Virginia Law School and became a Certified Public Accountant. He ended up creating his own accounting firm in Charlottesville, VA, which is named Hantzmon Wiebel. This firm is still standing today. When my grandfather was a young boy he would go bike riding with a kid named Clark Wardrup. They were very good friends and lived on the same street in Pennsylvania. Throughout his childhood he would go down to Florida with his family to their beach house, which was about a seventeen hour drive. Throughout his childhood, he mostly focused on academics, but still maintained a good social life. Throughout his life he had always liked the subject of physics.

Richard Hantzmon is my hero because he has great courage. About five years ago, my grandfather had a stroke and he has been bedridden since. In spite of this terrible occurrence in his life, this man has the courage to go on. About the same time he had the stroke, he was saddened by the fact that some of his family had to move further away from where he lived. Also, his wife, my grandmother also passed away. Even though life has treated him roughly, my grandfather still goes to physical therapy every week and tries to get his strength back. Though it might be impossible, he dreams of walking again and retraining his brain to function to it’s full extent again. Although I worry that it will never happen, he has a goal of coming down and visiting my family in North Carolina. My grandfather is very courageous for fighting to get his life back.

My grandfather is a hero because he exhibits perseverance. He is extremely motivated to get things done. Before any of my uncles or my father were born, my grandfather built his own house that still stands today. My uncle lives in this house still today and might never move out of it. This house is also special to our family. In this home, my grandmother painted a saying on the wall that says, Welcome to Our Home. This is important to our family because of this was maybe the last thing my grandmother painted before she passed away. My grandfather tries to return to his home whenever he can. My grandfather was the man who designed and built this home. He built it on a street called Foxbrook near downtown Charlottesville, VA.

My grandfather is also my hero because he is loyal to his family and friends. Though my grandfather may be handicapped, he is still very social. He spends time with his friends most everyday in his retirement home. When Thanksgiving comes around, he goes to dinner with my uncle and the rest of my family in Charlottesville. Even though he may not be able to walk on his own, he sometimes jokes about walking down to Durham and seeing us. Throughout his life, he was devoted to my grandmother. Even when he went to Australia, or worked in Germany, he still loved his wife until the day that she passed away. At the funeral, on the long white pews, he remembered all of the days they spent together that had passed by too quickly. Nothing could hold him back from the tears of 50 years. My grandfather has a big family, three boys and six grandchildren and he is devoted to each and every one of them. He works at keeping  good relationships with all of them.

My grandfather has been inspirational to me because of the way he has lived his life and the advice he gives me whenever we are together.  He has always told me that you can never stop. Even if things get really bad, there is always a reason to get up in the morning and to keep going. My grandfather, though paralyzed on the right side, still goes to rehab once a week, to try and be able to walk and get out of his wheelchair. He has been an inspiration to me and my family for as long as he has been alive. I think the best advice he’s ever given me is to never stop believing in myself. For that and many other reasons, my grandfather will always be my hero.

Here is the Book

 

 

Hero Story

 My hero is my dad. His full name is Shu Shiuh-Shieu Lin. He was born on May 7th, 1966 to Amy and Young Tso (pronounced “so”) Lin in Kaosiung (pronounce “kao-shung”), Taiwan. He has two older sisters, Janet and Kay. He lived in Taiwan until seventh grade. For seventh grade he moved to California with his family. After he graduated from high school, he went on to be a Cardiovascular and Thoracic (heart and lung) surgeon. He also became a professor of Immunology (branch of medicine and biology concerned with immunity) and Pathology (the science or the study of the origin, nature, and course of diseases). He currently lives in Durham, NC as a surgeon and professor at Duke Hospital. He has two daughters, Sydney (12) and Samantha (7), and one son/ dog, Gomez (2).

    As a child, my dad did not like to study and he was very athletic. He was always playing baseball or hanging out with his friends. His best friend in 5th and 6th grade was Vincient Wang, the leader and founder of their group who was a couple years older than my dad. They called their group fēng gǒu, or crazy dog group in English. His greatest achievement in grade school was in 5th grade when he won an essay writing contest. One of the most disappointing times was when he didn’t get picked for the competitive dodge ball team. My dad and his sisters fought, but not much. When they did, it was usually over food. Once his oldest sister, Janet, sat on my dad’s model airplane that he made.

    My dad is my hero because he is so kind. My dad really likes to play basketball and has friends that he often plays with. When he goes, I go with him to watch. During breaks, he teaches me how to dribble and shoot baskets. We always play until his teammates call him back. After basketball, he always asks, “Do you want to go get some ice cream?”  Of course I say yes every time! Another way my dad shows kindness is in the way he participates and supports me in all of my activities. On Sundays, I participated in Mr. Block’s weekend basketball camp. My dad would come with me and always be one of the parents who helped out. The fact that he was so helpful by being there, always boosted my confidence since I knew he had (and still has) a busy schedule.

    My dad is a hero because he is so helpful in so many ways. Not only does he save and lengthen people’s lives as a doctor, but he also provides for our family. My mom is a nurse at Duke hospital. She once told the story of a man that had just had surgery. He was starting to wake up when my dad, his surgeon, came by to check on him. The man reached up, grabbed my dad’s face and said, “I love you man,” then fell back to sleep. Later when I interviewed my dad he said, “I was just happy he spoke. And that he didn’t have a stroke. I understood his appreciation. People show their appreciation differently.” In my opinion, that man was lucky to have such a trustworthy surgeon.

    To do surgery you need a steady hand and lots of focus. Not only that, but you need to be trustworthy. Your patient needs to be able to trust you. My dad’s patients all trust him to do surgery on them. Another thing you need to be to be a good surgeon is intelligence.

    My dad did not like to study, but he was lucky that he was very good at it anyway. He said, “I was lucky. Also I was very persistent. Don’t be afraid to have to work hard. There is no free lunch, you need to work hard.” After finishing high school, he got into Harvard University. He graduated from Harvard University in 1988. After Harvard, he went to medical school, internship, fellowship, and residency at Duke University.

    My dad has influenced my life by teaching me how to play basketball and chess. Also he has inspired me to keep doing what I like to do by showing determination. I’m lucky to have him as my dad, because he really is a true hero.

My Hero Story

In LA, we created books about our heroes with Peg Gignoux out of paper, paint, and imagination! Here’s my hero story! Enjoy!

My Hero

Timothy John Cunneen


My hero is one of the few people I can trust with all of my personal information. He’s always there for me when I need him. Give up? My hero is my dad. His name is Tim Cunneen. He is 44 years old and was born on October 14, 1966. Dad was born in Putnam, Connecticut but currently lives in Durham, North Carolina. Dad lives with his wife, Mary Anne and his two daughters, my sister Katie and me. We have a dog named Jackson. My dad now works at Smith Breeden. Read on to find out why this man is my hero.

My dad lived in Danielson, Connecticut all of his life. The hospital in Putnam was the closest hospital to my dad. He went to public school and had to walk over this huge hill to get there each day. For pets, my dad and his sisters had guinea pigs, dogs, and cats. Here’s a funny story about my Aunt Sandy, who is my dad’s sister. My aunt hugged her guinea pig so hard, she killed it! When my dad was a kid he liked to play basketball, soccer, and baseball. His favorite food was cheese sandwiches and he hated liver, as he has all of his life.

My dad moved to a different house in the same town when he was 12. In his free time my dad focused on basketball because he played on the school team. His favorite food was lobster and least favorite food…. still liver! Every Friday during the winter, my dad and his dad went over to their neighbor’s house to swim in his indoor pool. My dad got his first car when he was sixteen. It was a 1966 yellow Pontiac Catalina Convertible. My dad met my mom at work and they fell in love.

One reason that my dad is a hero to me is that he’s generous. We both love Duke and have season tickets to the Men’s Basketball games. He is generous with his money because those tickets are pretty expensive, especially when you add the food and sometimes a milkshake! Also, my dad is generous with his time. Most basketball games take about two hours and there’s still commute time. He also spends time with me during the weekends and the weekdays. Also, my dad always finds time for me. Even if he has something planned, he’ll still hang out with me. And that’s why my dad is the most unselfish person I know.

My dad is a hero because he’s encouraging. He always wants me to do my best in school and sports. When I played soccer, he was always at my games. Now, at swim meets, my dad gives me a big hug when I drop time. When my report card comes, he first asks me if I’ve tried my hardest. If I tell him yes, then he isn’t mad if I get bad grades. When I do get good grades, he tells me he’s very proud of me and to keep up the good work. My dad likes to encourage me and that means a lot to me.


My dad is a hero because he’s caring. If someone is being rude to me, he’ll stop and listen. When I’m having a bad day, he’ll give me some space and tell me to go outside and chill or to calm down first and then he’ll talk to me. After our talks,  I always feel much better. When I’m hurt, he’ll give me a hand and help me back up. That’s how my dad shows me he cares.

My dad has had a huge impact on my life. He’s taught me to be kind and to take what life gives me and twist it until I’m satisfied. My dad has also taught me to obey rules and never, ever cheer for UNC! We’re Blue Devils for life. So, that’s why my dad is my hero. He has taught me so much and he is encouraging, caring, and generous. One day, I hope to grow up to be just like him.

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My Hero Project By Bailey H.

This was a projects where we made hand made books and wrote stories about heroes in our lives.  With help from Peg Gignoux Artist in Residence and Mrs.Williams we where able to create great peaces of art.

DSC01905My Hero

Lorraine Horgan

My hero is my mom and her name is Lorraine Horgan.  She is 43 and was born on May, 14 1967 in London, England.  She works as a project manager at Glaxo Smith Kline.  She currently lives in Durham,NC.  She lives with my dad Andy, me my two brothers Jackson and Callum, and me.

My mom grew up in north London in a semi-detached house that had three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a small garden.  She lived with her mom, dad and older brother, but she was very closely knit with her extended family and spent a lot of time with her mom’s mom.  The school she went to was like a combined middle and high school.  At school they had to wear a uniform.  She played field hockey and participated in gymnastics.  Outside of school, she took horseback riding and watched T.V. Her favorite show was Big Charley’s Angle.  She also traveled quite a bit to places in Europe and America, but her favorite trip was going to the Mediterranean coast of Spain.

One of mom’s best traits is that she is really  helpful for example my mom is helpful because when I am having trouble with something she will help understand it.  She also helps other people because she works on creating new medicines for sick people, but right now she is mostly working on medicine to treat type 2 diabetes.  She also helps me by helping me study for tests and quizzes because I’m not as good studying by myself.   When I am not feeling well she will also help me get better.  I know my mom is very helpful even though I don’t acknowledge most of the time.

My Hero Story

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My Hero

Robert DeVries

I have chosen a hero who has given so much to the world, and has also given a lot to me. He is somebody who inspires me, and somebody who I want to be like when I grow up. My hero’s name is Robert DeVries. He is currently 73 years old, and he was born on May 12, 1936. He was born in Chicago, Illinois. He worked as a hospital administrator for many years before becoming a philanthropist, which is somebody who gives money to other people without expecting anything for themselves. Currently, he is living in Battle Creek, Michigan, with his wife, Eleanor DeVries. He has four children, two boys and two girls. His oldest daughter, Susan Concannon, is my mother, making him my grandfather.

When my hero was asked about his childhood, his first response was that it was very difficult. His mother died when he was seven years old, and because his father was always working and couldn’t take care of him, he had to live with an aunt until he was almost ten. Money was very tight, and they barely had enough for everyday expenses. He had to change schools almost every year. Things started to straighten out once his father remarried a few years later. In completing high school, he met with a guidance counselor who believed that he definitely had the potential to go to college, and helped to get him into a university. He was one of the first people in his family to go to college.

I believe that my hero has many, many traits that make him heroic. First and foremost, is his generosity. He has spent most of his entire life giving to others, even though there were numerous times when he didn’t really have much to give. He gave money to create and design many art galleries and gardens throughout the state of Michigan, and he has set up scholarships for students attend several nearby universities. He created an organization that brings art into schools. I could list many more things that he has done, but, maybe most importantly to me, is the time that he gives to his family. I know that he is a very busy person, and yet he is always there to talk to us when we call, and we get calls from him frequently. We don’t get to visit his house nearly as much as I would like to, but when we do go, he is always there with us. When I think of how much he has given to others, it inspires me to do the same.

The second most important trait that makes my grandfather a hero, is his persistence. I know that his childhood was not easy, but he has never given up. He has always worked hard to achieve his goals, and when he succeeds in doing them, he works to create new goals. Even if you are extremely talented, and have the ability to do great things, you can’t accomplish those things if you don’t have persistence. He was willing to try something again if it didn’t work the first time. My grandfather would not be where he is today if not for his persistence.

The third trait that I find honorable about my hero are all of his many achievements. I am so proud when I think of all of the things that he has done. Not only was he the administrator of a hospital at a very young age, but he was also the youngest person to be in the American College of Healthcare Executives. He was one of the first people to introduce the idea of hospice, which is special treatment for people in the final days of their life. Hospice offers Wholistic Healthcare, which is a type of medical practice that focuses on the whole entire body. My grandfather was the first to push the hospice idea into the United States, and changed medical education across the state. My hero is a very accomplished man and I will always admire him for that.

I think that my hero’s greatest achievement is being the loving and funny father, and grandfather that he is today. I know that I have told you all about my hero’s amazing accomplishments, however, the part of him that is most important to me is the part that he shares with his family. The memories and silly things that he does with us when we see him are most meaningful to me. When we play badminton, somehow the birdies always seem to end up on the roof, and when we can convince him to play board games with us, we always have a lot of fun. His squirrel magic tricks, and his love of eating dinner on the patio are all the pieces of his personality that he shares with us. Even though he has done many things that have affected a lot of people, the things that have affected me the most are the time that he spends with his family, and the memories we make together.

My Hero Story

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This is my Hero Storybook that I made with a wonderful artist named Peg Gignoux. I made it for my grandfather. Here are some paragraphs I put in my storybook.

Hero Story
by Nichole Hanna

My hero’s name is George Ashoo. He was born on May 24, 1933 and is currently 76 years old. He was born in Basrah, Iraq and had many jobs, but now is retired. He currently lives in Raleigh, North Carolina with Samira (his wife). He has also had three children: Hala, Basil, and Dena(my mom). My hero is my grandfather.

My grandfather had a very hard childhood. His family was very poor so he grew up with nothing to play with and nowhere to go and have fun. He had three brothers and four sisters. He was the fourth brother, so eight in all! Wow! When my grandfather started school, he did not like it and thought it was boring, so he sometimes went to school and sometimes skipped his classes. His dad had to work every day for a living, but they were still very poor. My grandfather went to high-school and then to college. Then he left his family and went to England to get his diploma. He worked in Scotland for a long time before he went back to Iraq and became a manager. Then he got fired and moved to Kuwait and had a family.

My grandfather is very smart. He worked hard to get his diploma in England. He worked in an oil company. He was also a mechanical engineer in Kuwait. When he heard about a better life, he was never afraid to move to find it. He worked for his money and used his skills to help him get there! My grandfather ended up being a very successful man, and he used his intelligence to help him get there!

My grandfather is very creative because he loves to paint and make things for others with his hands. He has made stools, paintings, bird houses, and much more! There is even a bird nest in one of the bird houses in his garden! In his garden, he grows cucumbers, peppers, tomatoes, figs, beans, okras, cabbages, zucchinis, and squashes! He has created paintings capturing sunsets on a beach with birds and children playing. Another picture he has painted was a dinosaur in a forest full of big prehistoric plants and small ones too! My grandfathers creativity is one of the traits I admire most about him.

My grandfather was also very brave. Think about leaving your very poor family behind to go to England and get a diploma. Think about how much money it would have cost my grandfather’s family to send him there in the first place. Like I said before, my grandfather saw a better life somewhere and he went to go find it. He went to England to study and to learn. By getting an education he did find a better life. He received many jobs and many opportunities, only because he was brave enough to make that one trip to England.

My grandfather has a big influence on my life. From his stories, he has taught me that you should never be scared of something because you may never get the chance to do it again.  I think it’s amazing how he could be so brave and smart, and still be a great artist. He has also helped me with all of my artwork and schoolwork.  He has always been there for me and  that is why I believe he is my hero!