Monday, March 5, 2012
Dennis Phillips
I chose to interview Dennis Phillips. He is a World War Two veteran and he is also my grandpa. I've always known him to be a very hard working, kind hearted person. He grew up in Elliott County, Kentucky although he moved back and forth from Ohio to Kentucky many times. He was born in 1927. He grew up with five other brothers and sisters and he was the only one who didn't finish the eighth grade. He stopped after completing his seventh grade year. He worked with his dad up until 1946 when he was drafted into the army. He completed his basic training but he never learned to swim but he did qualify. "I did qualify going across the pool because it wasn't very far across that you had to go, but many others could swim across and back with no problems and I just peddeled underneath like a dog and then once I made it across I would just give out". He was in the infantry and also worked as a dispatcher in the motor pool. After returning from the war, he started right back to working with his dad. He married my grandmother, who is now deceased, in 1949 and together they raised 500 baby chicks to get a little extra money from selling the eggs. He said he regretted not going to school, but no one was there to pressure him. His dad was ready for him to not go so that he could help him work more and his mom never pressured him but she would have rather he went. He also said that his biggest influences were his parents. At 85 years old, he still enjoys being outside and would choose it over being stuck inside anyday. He loves to cut and split wood, work in the garden and mow the lawn and he always enjoyed packing up all thirteen of the grandchildren, including me, in the back of his truck and taking us to the zoo!
I interviewed Gerald Dryfuse, my husband. When I learned about life I found that his childhood was far from normal. He was separated from his 2 older sisters, then reunited and adopted at the age of 7.
My oldest sister lived in Akron with an Aunt and uncle, my middle sister lived with my grandma and grandpa in republic, by the time the 3 of us were together it was rough. Lori was always babied by grandma, Tina was raised to be who she is, and me, I didn’t have anyone growing up around for the first 7yrs of my life, I played in the basement on a battery operated car, that was my doings, I mean I never had any friends or Anything like that and I was thrown into the situation with 2 older sisters always telling me what to do, I mean they literally put A rope around my neck and hung me, I’ve had many of times where it was just rough sometimes. My sisters did teach me a lot growing up, and I do appreciate each ones effort to, you know, keep me safe.
My mother met my dad, they got married, and he took it upon himself to give us his name. I was 7, and I was given a choice it was either get adopted or have 3 females very mad at me. Even at the ripe old age of 7 I knew what I had to do. You met my mother and sisters; I was so outnumbered I figured I had better go with it. I loved my dad then and I love him even more today, I am very happy that he is my father. I wouldn’t have it any other way
Sunday, March 4, 2012
Brent Peacock
While I was at the University of British Columbia two professors from the Ohio State University were visiting. One of the professors was Christine Balleng-Morris, who is my current advisor, and the other was Patricia Stuhr. After meeting these professors we went for lunch and I got to talking to them and they recruited me to come to OSU to the art education department. It has been during my pursuit of my PhD. that I realized what my true calling is and that is to be a teacher at the university level. I have almost eight years’ experience teaching at post-secondary institutions. I can honestly say that I enjoy it. The growth of the students, that is what I enjoy and it is also what you learn from your students. Once you become open to the idea that your students have as much to offer to you as you do to them, than teaching becomes really enjoyable. It is about the interchange or the exchange of knowledge between student and teacher. Now after some setbacks; I am refocused on my dissertation and teach at a small liberal arts college. This is because during my research for my PhD I come to realize that a lot of university professors teach less and research more. I think that when I finish my PhD. that is why I am inclined to teach at a liberal arts college where I more exclusively teach than research. Not to say that I don’t like research I just like teaching more than research.
I came to America to complete my PhD. at a renowned university and it was here that I realized my dream to teach and this is what I am working toward. I guess what you would call the American dream. After, coming to Ohio State I noticed that there seems to be two American Dreams. One seems to be to graduate from college, get married, and make as much money as possible. The other is working in the blue collar world, where their dream of what they want to be is probably go to the doctor and go to the dentist, to be able to make enough money to pay for everything and hopeful one day get a house. Hope that their children go to a better place. I would have to say that my dream is a combination of both versions of the American Dream. My goal is to complete my doctorate and to teach full time. Then it is to have season tickets to the Red Sox games and watch every game in Fenway. Own a Harley Davidson, and have enough money to live but to have a little extra to do what I want. Finally, I have thirteen more states to go to and then I will have seen all fifty states of this country.
Patrcik Hreachmack
For my project, i chose my moms husband, an model builder who has creates more detailed works that are the size of a quarter then i can create in full scale! After doing my interview and learning more about the art that he takes place in and his love of history, i can honestly admit i would not mind joining him in his model building one day.Why?” I asked. Pat’s response being, “History,
all about history. Yes they are games; yes they are all about war. But here had
never been a time longer than fifteen years where there has not been a war
going on. What happens in war time creates countries and where they will go. I
think we all need to learn from history, if we learn from these mistakes, we
will make other mistakes, but we will not repeat the same mistakes, and we will
improve.” Pat Hreachmack is a “big kid” with a love of models that has evolved
into a successful passion and allowed him to express his liking of history; an
ideal that we all can learn from.
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