My Hero: Jean Hull

by Scarlett R.

     My hero’s name is Jean Hull, but I call her Nana. Jean was born on February 21, 1940 in Rutherfordton, North Carolina. She was oneof eight children, five brothers and two sisters, and she helped her parents by raising the younger ones. My grandmother lived in the country. She had cows, chickens, a garden and horses. Jean picked cotton for her parents, and sewed most of her own clothes. She liked to play barefooted in the streets, ice skate, climb trees, and ski. She was a tomboy. When she went to school she walked to the bus stop and rode the bus to school. When she was in sixth grade she walked to school. Since they moved into town, it was not too far of a walk. My grandmother liked school because she learned a lot there. She also went to the Presbyterian Hospital School of Nursing and she attended Durham Technical School for some courses. Her favorite subjects in school were History and Math.

     Jean had a very hard childhood because she didn’t have a lot of money. To earn money, she babysat and worked in a department store. When Jean was sixteen her father died and his loss was really hard for her. My grandma has had a lot of occupations. She was also a hospital nurse until she retired in 1999. She said nursing was the hardest job she ever had. When she was younger, she didn’t have television, internet, or cell phones. Her favorite childhood memory was going to the beach for the first time when she was about fifteen. She met her husband, Heyward on a blind date. They had three children, Carolyn, my mom Lori, and Susan.

      Jean has been all over the world. She is now 72 but is still a lot of fun. Her best friend is Beverly and they are really close. She told me that her favorite year of life so far was age 56 because she traveled to China, where she got to climb the Great Wall of China as well as stand in the Forbidden City. These days, her favorite hobbies are reading, skiing, traveling, playing bridge, and taking care of her grandchildren. My grandmother believes her greatest accomplishments are becoming a grandmother and being a nurse. She is also proud of meeting lots of people from different cultures who she still maintains contact with after all of these years. Her advice to someone my age would be to enjoy being young and to appreciate good health.

      One thing that I love about my grandmother is that she is very generous. She takes care of me when I’m sick and has me over for visits even when I’m not. For Easter and for the fourth of July, my grandparents have the whole family come to their mountain house. They let us go there whenever we please. She takes me out to eat and buys me nice things. One of our favorite places to go for lunch is Suttons Drugstore Lunch Counter  in downtown Chapel Hill. Even when she’s not feeling well, she invites me over. She has her grandchildren over a lot. She is a very generous person.

      Another thing I love about my grandmother is that she is very friendly. She always is in a good mood and is always really nice. Every time I see her, she has a smile on her face. She makes me laugh and I always have a good time when I’m with her. She takes good care of me and makes delicious food for me. My grandmother is really fun to be around because she makes everything fun. She is very interesting because she has been to a lot of places and knows a lot about the different cultures. I’m always happy when I’m with her because she is a extremely nice and friendly person.

      One more thing I love about my grandmother is that she is very patient. She never rushes things. When we go shopping I take forever to try on different clothes. She always waits and never gets mad about how long I take. If I ever need more time to finish something, she waits for me to. If I don’t feel ready to go at some time, she waits with me until I feel ready. My grandmother is always very calm. Even if it’s cold outside and I wanted to play she would come outside with me until I wanted to come in. She is a very patient woman.

     My Nana has impacted my life because I want to be like her when I’m older. I think about her every day. I love my grandmother because she is a great person! You are my hero Nana!!