I want to use my blog to brag..at least a little bit.
It is normal for parents to want their children to achieve more than
they did. My father never graduated from high school but went on to
lead a successful life. He grew up during the Great Depression and had
to go to work to try to support his family.
I grew up with the understanding that I would go to college, and I know
that my parents were delighted to sit in the stands at Alumni Stadium in
Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts to see me walk across the stage and receive
my diploma.
Now, it is my turn to watch the next generation move up, and I'm happy
to report they are succeeding.
Our oldest daughter, Erin, is the Assistant Director of a non-profit
organization that helps homeless women with children and homeless young
people. She holds degrees in History and Criminal Justice and a
Master's in Public Affairs from the LBJ School of Public Affairs at the
University of Texas.
Mary Kate graduated from USA with a degree in Speech and Hearing
Sciences. She and her husband, Brien, who also just earned his degree in
Speech and Hearing Sciences, are about to start with AmeriCorps, helping
children to improve their literacy skills.
Erin's husband is making headlines of his own this week. Jeremy is
wrapping up his Ph.D. in Ecological and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Texas and
did the genetic analysis of the ant, "martialis heureka". (It's been
making headlines as the "Ant from Mars"). His work reveals the ant's
relationship to all other ants; it is an entirely new branch on the
family tree.
It's an understatement to call this a big deal.Ironically, E.O. Wilson, the Harvard biology professor who has taken a great interest in this discovery, is from Mobile.
Image: C. Rabeling and M. Verhaagh
Maybe this isn't bragging after all. As Bear Bryant put it, "It ain't bragging if it's true".
