Day 15. (A) Persons I admire

As always, I am one who can not give simply one person whom I admire.

So here are the people I admire and a little about them.  Some you already have seen, and a few may surprise you.

First up, President John F Kennedy.  I have always admired JFK, since I was a child.  I cut my teeth reading about his daring survival in the south pacific in World War Two, how he saved 11 out 13 members of his crew of the P.T. 109, and how he had back pain and an injury that would have crippled many others, but he did not allow that.

As an adult, I learned that John Kennedy, was a flawed man, he nearly flunked out of Harvard Law school, until he wrote one paper, that lead to a first book, and his life in politics eventually.  I came to know he was flawed in other areas too; however I still feel he was someone to be admired for his heroism and determination.



Next , Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.  Dr. King was right next to JFK, when I grew up.  I admired and admire Dr. King, because he was positively proactive, for no matter how hard things were, no matter how he was belittled or shunned he continued to press forward to bring civil rights to all people of this nation.

I have always admired him most, for the fact that no matter how hard things were, he remained calm and used intellect and his mind to achieve his goal.  He lived and died as a man of peace, in a world of anger, hatred and violence; which is amazing.



John Glenn is next, here was a man who defines his life by taking chances and going beyond limitations.  He was one of the first men in space, in Project Mercury back in 1962; he was the first American to orbit the earth.  His mission was one of high drama, because ice particles were coming off the back of his space craft, and the people at NASA felt that he could be losing his heat shield 

He successfully returned to earth and after his fifteen minutes of fame, left the space program and became a senator.  In 1997, Glenn returned to space, as one of the oldest Americans to do so. 

Time and again, this man has taken on challenges and has pushed past boundaries that others would have not.



Martha Stewart.  A woman who has not allowed anything, or anyone stand in her way.  She has explored areas as a stock broker, an interior designer, and of course has several cook books, home improvement books and both a magazine and tv series by the name Martha Stewart Living.

She triumphed when charged with insider trading, and came back with determination and self assurance to succeed an reinvent herself.  She has never allowed barriers to stop her from accomplishing a goal.

My wife is also here.  Naila Moon, she has two wonderful children, now young adults, a son Josh, who is a father of his own daughter.  And then there is Natasha, she is constantly moving in so many directions, you need a score card to keep up.  Naila herself, is in the process of getting a degree as a teacher.  My wife also is a fantastic cook, only slightly less perfect than I, in the kitchen.

So there you have it.  The people I admire.