Braggadocio

As I often say, everyone of my nine grandchildren makes me proud every day, and the joy I take from the variety of ways they continue to make me so proud is boundless. Today’s pride is in my youngest grandson, Angus Yeoman, son of Tracie and Chris, and a junior at the University of South Carolina. Like both his parents, Angus has selected the US Navy for his career, and like his mom, he’s beginning it with the Naval ROTC program at the same university. Not only am I proud that he made the Dean’s List….AGAIN!!!...but it was Angus, not his parents, who sent me the letter proving it. He knows what makes me happy! Cheers as well to Dean Samuels who recognizes how much more difficult college is for all students during the Covid-19 pandemic. Dear Angus, Congratulations on your academic performance in the Fall 2020 semester that earned a place on the Dean’s List at the College of Arts and Sciences. Your achievement represents not only excellence in the classroom but also perseverance in light of the myriad challenges presented by the COVID-19 pandemic. As a small token to recognize your efforts, I thought you might want to let your network celebrate your success by sharing this Dean’s List social media graphic. On behalf of the College of Arts and Sciences faculty and staff, I want to offer you best wishes for continued success. Congratulations again, Joel H. Samuels University of South Carolina Interim Dean, College of Arts and Sciences

You know you are going to hear about all my grandchildren so long as you keep reading Veni, Vidi, Scripto, and how proud I am of each, but it's true, Angus is rather extraordinary! Tracie and Chris'ss on, and the youngest of my nine grandchildren, he's following in their footsteps and is currently in ROTC at the University fo South Carolina...yep, he's a Gamecock, like many other New Jerseyans.... But he's also a surfer, and while it's a sport I always felt was more for the long-haired, self-centered young adult, Angus has truly taught me you can be a Gamecock honor student and a Naval collegian, while at the same time relax and take care of yourself mentally and physically with the art and science of surfing. So when it came time for him to make a presentation for his philosophy class, I really wasn't surprised when he chose to highlight all the benefits of surfing. It's without his permission, but here is his presentation, and hopefully, others can learn as I have how great surfing is for any number of reasons.

I could brag every day about everyone of my nine grandchildren and the good news is it is because of different talents, different reasons, different personalities, different energies. But they are all the same in their always wanting to improve, to do something different, to be somebody better. So in this column I want to brag about Jason McNamee. Jason’s my oldest grandchild, born when I was far too young to be a grandma. But his mom was a Marine and in Japan when she called to give us the news. The Corps being what it is, Michelle still had her obligations…the Marine Corps did not issue Jason!...so it was several months before we got to see him, hold him and spoil him. Through the years, Jason grew, learned, loved his siblings and cousins, and eventually went to work for an airlines, a job he still holds. But now, he’s added something else to his repertoire! Jason is now an agent for Disney trips, cruises, all-inclusive resorts and not sure what else. But it’s a lot. He got his training through both Disney and Universal Studios, so he can do everything from booking resorts and tickets, to making dinner reservations, spa appointments, even tee times and ground transportation. He said he’s doing this because of the travel he and Melissa and their kids have done, travel that showed them they really like the personal attention, knowledge, and tips and suggestions of professionals when they’re away from home. In this job, which is in addition to the airline work out of Philadelphia Airport, Jason said after he books trips, he monitors all the last minute deals offered for the area where he’s booked someone, then alerts them to more possibilities. The new opportunity has also changed Jason, I can tell! Never the most talkative or outgoing of all the grands….that in itself is something to admire and brag about sometimes!... Jason now talks about the best places for honeymooners to go for romance, or excitement, or relaxation; he ticks off the unusual places for college kids to go on break, or for families to visit. Whether they like Disney World or the Caribbean. https://www.facebook.com/TravelbyJasonwithJustaDreamAwayTravel My oldest grandson also said that after 20 years in the aviation field, he has learned how vital it is to pay attention to the smallest details. And that’s why he feels his Travel by Jason with Just a Dream Away Travel will be successful, not only for him, but for everyone who books or plans through him. Don’t take my word for it. Contact him at jasonmsmith733@gmail.com, If you do, tell him his Granny said he better make you feel important and special. Am I proud of Jason? Of course. He’s in his late 30s, successful in aviation, married to a wonderful wife with two very special children. And still he want to do more and make others happy. That’s the best way to look at life!

Four years ago, I made my first trip to Cuba with a friend of mine, Catherine Curtin, her parents and another Red Bank Catholic High School student and her mom. We went back the following year as well. I knew then how sharp and vitally interested in helping others Catherine is. Well, actually, I know she inherits it from her parents, Tricia and Dan, who volunteer untold hours, efforts and money to keep the Our Lady of Perpetual Help Food Pantry running as great as it does. But seeing Catherine and her friend in Cuba, seeing how they interacted with teens they never met before, and whose language they could only speak with high school expertise, I knew she had something special. Catherine had designed GUEST, Girls Universal Empowerment Sports Tour, a goodwill ambassadorship program that uses sports to make a difference in third-world countries. Since she played volleyball, Catherine used that sport as a way to empower young girls on the premise if you can reach someone through sports you can impact them in other ways too. She selected Cuba for the program since it is largely poor as well as being a close neighbor so the commitment could be ongoing. Currently, while the Gamecock Junior maintains the relationships in Cuba she made on the two trips, the program is on hold until after college graduation. I’ll write about that trip to Cuba in another future travel blog, but suffice it to say, Catherine showed her premise works, and warm friendships were formed and kept because of her GUEST ideas. So now that she’s a junior at the University of South Carolina, it didn’t come as any surprise to me that she was just selected an Ambassador of the College of Hospitality, Retail and Sport Management (HRSM) for her excellence in both her work and a personal interview for the position. HRSM ambassadors represent the College and assist with the planning and staffing of many college events including conferences, alumni, and recruiting. Recognized as star students, the ambassadors serve as brand champions for the college and share information to help other students and visitors learn more about all that HRSM has to offer. In announcing the college’s selection, Collin Crick, Director of Enrollment Management and Professional Development, wrote it was Curtin’s enthusiasm for her major, the College of HRSM, and the University of South Carolina itself that was recognized and appreciated. A graduate of Oak Hill Academy in Lincroft and Red Bank Catholic High School, Class of 2018, Catherine was on the National Honor Society, a Casey Ambassador at the high school and also co-captain of the varsity volleyball team. Curtin is also a member of Alpha Delta Pi sorority.

When you love your children and grandchildren, there are any number of things that make you proud and happy…..the first tooth or first step as a baby, the first tearful goodbys as they head off to kindergarten, the medal for cheerleading or Pop Warner, the scout medals and awards, the A+ in English on the report card. The proud military service, the college degrees, the singular achievements at various kinds of work. Then the grandchildren and everything they do. When you really really love them, you can take pride in other things that most people wouldn’t even talk about. That’s why Brandon fills my heart with pride. In a story too long and painful to repeat, Brandon was in 8th grade at Our Lady of Perpetual Help when powers that be, both in Highlands where they offered no help at all and in Wisconsin where the liberal courts always think the mother, regardless of her alcohol or drug habits, is the better parent, he ended up living in Wisconsin. Prayers and court actions couldn’t change anything, and Brandon spent uncountable months during his teen years in juvenile detention centers. He ‘graduated’ to real prison shortly after he turned 18, his drug habits and accompanying crimes associated with it now a very real part of his life. He spent the next ten years in and out of prison, always promising his dad and me who always wrote him that he’d do better, he’d be better, those days were behind him. Until he got out. And when he couldn’t find a job, had no support, had to stay in Wisconsin during parole, and sired a couple of kids, it was through drugs where he could make money. So he did. Until he was caught again. This time, it was a five year sentence which included, because he loved them wildly, the added pain and punishment of knowing he was not even close to being a role model for those young children. So now he’s back in prison and once again, Brandon says he’ll be better. Only this time, I believe him. This time, he’s taking positive steps. He’s listening to his dad. He’s talking with him on the phone and he’s writing him letters. The letters are heartbreaking in their honesty, scary in his descriptions of prison life, agonizing in the lonesomeness he feels and expresses. But, it has shown me he has inherited that gift of writing from his dad, the gift his dad inherited from me, the one I inherited from my father. There’s no doubt Brandon can write. So he does. He pours out his heart to his father in handwritten letters on pieces of paper he manages to secure in prison. And his father has started a blog to let other prisoners and their families know there is hope, there is help for a convict who has the support of his family. There is a chance at a better and successful life even if it’s only started when you’re thirty something. That’s what makes me proud. I’m proud my son still has faith in his son, still has a prideful recognition of Brandon’s writing talent, proud he is taking the extra steps to release his letters both to and from Brandon in the hopes of helping both Brandon and all who read the blog. Here are a father and son who love each other, love those adorable little babies of Brandon’s and have confidence that yes, indeed, this time it’s going to be better. If you want to see Brandon’s blog, visit https://a-parent-in-prison.blogspot.com/