Beatty – College

Brenda: Yeah, he never wanted us to lose our temper, so I tried not to do that either. In public speaking, he so enjoyed public speaking and wanted us to not be afraid to be in public speaking. He encouraged us both to be on the debate team and that, for me, didn’t last very long. We both did that. We both did recitation competitions and Merit with Mary, many and many of those. You remember, with your mom helping, too?

He always wanted us to not be uncomfortable talking to people. And so, he really pushed us and encouraged us to do that. And I used to tell him, Dad, I get really nervous, you know, as everybody does, and he said just remember, if you are not nervous, then what you have to say is not very important. So I try to always remember that, and I’m sure he has told many people that, too, over the years.

By the time we got on to college, well, Anne remembered and I do too, sort of, he said there are two things he would try to do for us and one is get us an education, and one maybe to get us a car when we finished the education. And he did that for both of us, which we are real proud of.

I will tell you one little story about dad my first year at college. Anne did a great deal better in college than I did. She made a lot better grades. Mine were Ok, but I was always striving, and never did want to disappointment them, and so I was taking French. I did all right on everything else but the second semester, I made a D in French and it was the first D I had made, I don’t know, probably ever, I guess. But anyway, I was so upset and I knew Dad were going to get my grades anyway, but I went home first to kinda cushion the blow, and I told him I had a D in French. And he just looked at me and then he just grinned, and he said, “Well, that’s the only course I failed in college.”

So you know he was pretty human too. And I thought, oh gosh, how could that happen.

 

Recorded at the Society’s 3rd annual Gathering, October 9, 2009.