The Family Tree
By Terence L. Day
Terence L. Day, genealogist and journalist, is on the Washington State University faculty. He welcomes e-mail at genealogy@moscow.com, or regular mail in care of the Tri-City Herald City newsroom, P.O. Box 2608, Tri-Cities, WA 99302-2608.
Many people influence who you are
This story was published Jan. 17, 1999
Vital statistics - dates of birth, marriage and death - are the bare, dry bones of genealogy. They do not tell us who our ancestors were or who we are. The meat of biography on the bones is what shapes and identifies.
There are many ways to approach identity. One of the best is to ask ourselves and our subjects, "What made you who you are?"
Many people, lacking introspection, don't have a clue. But ask them, "Who were the most influential people in your life?" and you will propel them down the road to self-discovery.
Surely, we all are influenced by parents, siblings and extended family. These people are fertile ground. These relationships define us genetically and socially.
Had my father not been an alcoholic truck driver and laborer, my life would have been different, and I would be a different person.
My father's alcoholism made a teetotaler out of me, but not out of my four brothers by the same father. There's a story there somewhere.
My paternal grandfather was a Republican cattleman. My maternal grandfather was a Democratic sheep shearer. This may explain some of the dichotomies in my life, for I strongly identify with both men.
Were it not for my paternal grandmother, I may not have learned to read. A former school teacher and an invalid during my childhood, Grandma Ada Rene Barnes Day tutored me when I struggled in the early grades in Kennewick schools.
Outside my family, many people molded my life. Space doesn't permit a comprehensive list, or even detail about how individuals helped make me who I am, but here are a few examples to illustrate the principle.
Coral Hodde, my third-grade teacher at Kennewick's Fruitland Elementary, was pivotal in my early education. She took a special interest in this slow-learning towhead, giving me extra attention and building my self-confidence. She was a special teacher who worked hard to instill a love for learning in her young charges.
Lorayne Larson, my high school English teacher and drama coach, became a lifelong friend after introducing me to theater and Shakespeare.
I met Charles Malcom Webb Jr., a young Arizonan, on a street in Japan. He changed my life forever by introducing me to the Mormon religion, which has been a central force in my life for more than 41 years.
Dale J. Laub, then an navigator, risked his officer's commission and his career in befriending me despite the Air Force's regulation that prohibits officers and enlisted men from fraternizing. His friendship helped mold my character and bend me toward intellectual interests that have shaped my life.
Armand Mauss, a professor of the sociology of religion, has profoundly enlightened me, intellectually and spiritually.
There is a story in each of these people and how they have helped me become who I am. They will figure prominently in my autobiography - if I ever get around to writing it. Of course many others also will find a place between the pages of my book, as they found places between the pages of my life.
How about you?
Who helped make you who you are?
What was the contribution of each?
These are important questions to ask yourself if you are writing your own life story. They also are the questions you should ask of those you are writing about.