Vanishing Fathers Series | Can one involved father have a lasting impact on future generations? Ep 103

There’s no better way to measure the impact a present, loving father has on his family than by talking to his children and grandchildren. So in the finale of our Vanishing Fathers Series, host Jamie Truman sits down with Jerry and Zack Truman, the son and grandson of Gerald Truman.
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Gerald reflects on the crucial familial support that shaped his life after his own father’s death, sharing the core values he learned as a child and then modeled in adulthood as a father and coach. His influence is evident in the lessons passed onto Jerry and Zack, who both carry forward Gerald’s legacy of hard work, integrity, and commitment to community in their own lives.
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Jerry and Zack also share their favorite moments and most profound experiences with Gerald, highlighting the enduring love and family unity that’s impacted one generation to the next.
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Tune in for a heartfelt discussion with three generations of Trumans!

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Email: info@trumancharities.com

This episode was post produced by Podcast Boutique https://podcastboutique.com/

Transcript

Speaker 1 0:01

Welcome to the Truman Charities podcast. I am Jamie Truman, your host. This is our last podcast for our Vanishing Fathers series and, as a reminder, 100% of the proceeds from our book go to charity, so please go to Amazon and purchase your copy today. I wanted to end this series answering the question can the actions of one person impact future generations? Can one involved father have a lasting impact on not only their children, but grandchildren as well? To answer that question, I spoke with Gerald, Jerry and Zach, three generations of Truman's. I hope you enjoy this conversation as much as I did. Gerald's father passed away at the tender age of six. It was actually on his sixth birthday, so you can only imagine what it would be like for a young child to lose their father and the new responsibilities and challenges that come from losing a father at a young age. Gerald had to grow up quicker than most. Here's the story.

Speaker 2 1:06

At six years old you don't anticipate stuff like that, so you don't really know. You try to make the best of it if you could, and it was tough. It was tough because my brother, my younger brother, was born. He was, I believe, maybe two years old and my mother was pregnant with my sister and it was tough for her and for us. And in the years just went on we knew right away we had to survive.

Speaker 1 1:40

And how was your mother able to survive financially after that?

Speaker 2 1:46

Very, very difficult, because she was mostly a waitress at the places and then we got a check. We didn't even buy milk from the Social Security or the government. So anyhow, from that time on, after a couple of years went by, it was not much for my brother and I to do other than work.

Speaker 1 2:08

So when you? Were younger and your mom obviously had to go out and was working a lot to support you guys. What were you guys doing Working?

Speaker 2 2:18

How old?

Speaker 1 2:19

were you when you started working.

Speaker 2 2:20

Well, the first time I read a job was cutting grass at eight years old, and then we just did it and in the summertime mostly during the winter, you know you go to school. Then, since we came over from school, we had numerous things that we were doing. My brother and I my older brother we had paper routes, cleaning restaurants, I worked in a pizza shop, I worked in numerous things and didn't have much time for sports except in the summertime when we didn't have to go to school. We were fortunate they had playgrounds and in those schools they had parks, so you would join and go to the park. That's what spent most of our day when we weren't working. And then every, every penny we made we gave to my mother, of course, you know. At that time, you know, milk was for a dollar. You get milk, bread and everything else. I mean, by the time I was nine years old, I had my own paper route and dad used to do pretty good for us. We used to make least money to support the house. And by 10 years old, I mean I was just working all the time, doing stuff all the time.

Speaker 2 3:35

Any time I came 13 years old, I was working. I'd go to school. Since I come home from school, I'd be in. I'd have to work four days in the pizza shop cleaning up the place, coming from school and go home, do my homework, get up and go to school, and then at 13, on Saturdays, I would work at a gas station, one of my mother's friends. He owned a gas station, so I'd go there on Saturday and all he wanted me to do was wash cars. Keep his customers happy. This is I was 13 years old. I used to have to take two buses to get to the place.

Speaker 1 4:07

How long did that take?

Speaker 2 4:08

Well, I used to leave about six o'clock in the morning and get there about eight 30. And then I'd stay there all day and wash cars. That was a big help at the house. And then we had other jobs my brother already. He was driving.

Speaker 2 4:23

So we had these mass paper routes where you drop papers off, pick them up at the indicator and take all these bundles of papers to places for people to deliver them to households. And we'd do that. I'd go with him in that car and we'd leave at 10 o'clock on Saturday night and finish up about one o'clock one, 30,. Come home, deliver our papers, our paper route, get dressed, go to church, come back. And then we had three or four or five cars whatever it was that we used to polish, wash and polish, and so it was like I didn't really have time to think about you know who's going to help me or who's not going to help me. I just did it, we just did the thing, and you did little things like I used to go to the scrap yard and pick up all the parts from old bikes and then put them back in my shed by my house and put them together and used to sell the bikes for five or six bucks to somebody you needed.

Speaker 1 5:25

You would put together an entire bike.

Speaker 2 5:27

Yeah, yeah. At that time I mean, you know, it was just anything to make a dollar so that we could survive. But at the time I was 50 years old, I was ready to retire because I'd been working since I was eight years old.

Speaker 1 5:43

When tragedies like this happen, the strength of the community around the children and family affected always amazes me. Although extended family and friends can't fill the void and the loss of a father, when a community steps up and supports families, it has a profound impact on the children involved. This was the case for Gerald Truman, growing up where his extended family lived close by and were actively involved in his life, and the church and community around them helped support the entire family.

Speaker 2 6:13

We were fortunate to have all our family lived within a quarter mile of us my father's four sisters so we spent a lot of time down there. They helped my mother a lot my mother she went to California with her friends or so and we stayed with my aunts and that I spent a lot of time with my grandfather. He lived down the street from us.

Speaker 1 6:36

And was that your mom's dad or your dad's dad? No, my dad's dad.

Speaker 2 6:39

My mother had two friends, one lived across the street from us and one lived on the one side of us and we had so many chores that we had to do to get the house to clean and take care of stuff. But they always looked after us, my aunts. They made sure that we walked the chalk line and of course at that time in our lives every Sunday you know, I mean for sure you were at your grandparent's house and you went to visit all your aunts. So they all knew what we were doing, what was going on.

Speaker 1 7:11

Do you think that your family living in such close proximity to your mom was a significant and you guys being able to survive? Oh yeah.

Speaker 2 7:22

Yeah, yeah, I mean, could have all the friends in the world, which okay, but you really need the family. They stuck by us and it was good. They helped a lot, very much, and I do know that we had the help from the church. I think that everybody should have some church in them because I think, going on Sunday we'd sit written in the gospel. There's always something in there that gives you values for life, no matter what day you go or when you go.

Speaker 2 7:54

Now the big thing is working in a steel mill town. That's Sunday. That's Sunday. You would go because you put clean clothes on, you know you showered you, you know you dressed up, you had a family dinner, you meet, sure, and I thought that it's just a change of pace. So things today is very irritating to me when you know I see somebody come to church half dressed in slobs and I think you should have some value and some respect for not only yourself but for the glory in the church and do that Until this day. I still believe that you should go to church every Sunday and listen to the gospel, listen to what the priests have sometimes have to say. There's always value, some value in there to help everybody.

Speaker 1 8:40

Gerald Truman is a testament to that, where he became the best father he could be to his children just by leading with love at the core. Not having a father figure can have consequences in so many areas of a man's life, but when they hold their own child for the first time is an opportunity to redefine fatherhood, and it can be a profound and transformative experience to provide the love, guidance and presence that was once missed. Gerald Truman is a testament to that, where he became the best father he could to his children just by leading with love at the core. So what was it like after you had your first child?

Speaker 2 9:19

To change a life, you can't just walk out the door. We had the two girls within a year, the same year. But one thing we always did do is we never went anywhere without them Very seldom that we would get. Sometimes somebody would watch the show, for we might go to a dance or something. But no matter where we went, we took our kids with us. No matter what we did, they always came with us. We had cookouts, she went down to the ocean, they came crib and canopy and all the rest is yeah, you guys would drive to California with them, right?

Speaker 2 9:55

Oh yeah.

Speaker 1 9:56

What was that like?

Speaker 2 9:57

Wonderful, best thing we ever did, even the drive Mm-hmm 8,200 miles.

Speaker 1 10:04

How long is that?

Speaker 2 10:05

I was off for 31 days.

Speaker 1 10:07

Oh my.

Speaker 2 10:08

I take off.

Speaker 1 10:09

How are you able to take off 31 days?

Speaker 2 10:12

Well, I saved my leave.

Speaker 1 10:14

Oh, so you'd save your leave and you guys would do a little thing to come forward.

Speaker 2 10:17

I did that four times in our married life. Wow, I took off a month. We had a station wagon and the girls in the, the older son we just Jerry. He was I don't know a year and a half, two years old or something. He had a bar because we had that big station wagon and we just drove in the kids. They liked it. You know the kids. They liked seeing the different words of the country, my work, when they kept saying they wanted to promote me, give me this, give me that and change my hours from nine to six, 30 and so on and so forth. I told them I'm staying right with my job because I like getting home at 3.30, four o'clock. How I would have dinner ready. Would we go up to the pool, spend time at the pool, pull them in the wagons? So I wanted to spend time with the kids.

Speaker 1 11:08

And down getting promotions that were handed to you because you chose to want to spend more time with your family instead.

Speaker 2 11:16

People that work in the government, in the hierarchies, are nuts. Their dinners are 10 o'clock at night. They have a little place, one of them. You might have to stay. She might you know like I'm you're able to mint. They might want you to come to a meeting at seven o'clock at night. You got to be nuts, not me.

Speaker 1 11:35

What were you think, the most important values that you wanted to instill in your children.

Speaker 2 11:40

First of all, so they could learn that they could be self-sufficient. Second of all, that be responsible for their actions, and they have to be polite to people. I taught them that when you walk in the house somebody's house well, I don't care who it is your aunt or friends or anybody you always walk up to and say hi, and when you leave their house, you tell them you're leaving and why. Why shouldn't? I thought that that was very important, that they did that. You know to have respect and it it grew on it and I like to see that you know parents to do that.

Lessons From Fathers

Speaker 1 12:20

Gerald Truman showed a tremendous interest in not only raising his own children to be hardworking, respectful and self-sufficient, he put the same effort into the children he coached baseball and instilling foundational values in them. Gerald mentions the story of a child he coached who had an absent father. That exemplifies his loving yet strict nature.

Speaker 2 12:40

When I really started coaching. There was maybe one parent that was divorced or the mother was just taken. As the years went on, there was a lot more, like eight or nine. Sometimes you know kids that their parents are divorced with stuff. I would just have to tell them that I'm a coach, I want to win, but it don't mean nothing to me. 10 years from now it's going to be something to you. So I'm looking out for your best interest. And when they don't have a father or a parent, then that's what I have to tell the kid.

Speaker 2 13:16

You know, because my biggest problem was when you would have to look at the kid. Maybe it's not the kid's fault, because why are they late Five minutes early? He's late and he's going to run polls. You have to look at it and say is it the dad's fault, the mother's fault, the stepfather's, the stepmother's? Is the kid sick? And then I told the school as soon as he does all his running and everything, they will find out no, you got to look at it before.

Speaker 2 13:46

I don't do that. I can't coach that way. I can't have a good team, because it's important that you be there for all the practices, because you're part of the team. It's not you, it's the team. You can't win the ball game, the team has to. So you need to be on time. You got to be involved in it. You can't come 20 minutes late and say because I didn't want to do the workouts. That can't happen. But I shall sorry for the guys I don't know.

Speaker 2 14:15

You might see it now. I mean it's seeing parents with their kids dot. You're owning up to what they do. You know the mother, the father don't agree and they just pat them on the back and say this is okay. It can't be that way. You have to be responsible for your actions. I hope that the kid, whoever does to see this, will look. Parents, make sure you have your kids. Show respect for you and for everybody else. Your job is not being a friend, your job is to be a parent. Everybody else will be here for it. So I hope that instills in other people.

Speaker 1 14:59

The intentional way Gerald Truman raised his children shines through in the way that they carry themselves, work and raise their own families. He has essentially created a legacy through his character, trickling down to the younger generations, who adopted his morals as their own, with no father to teach him the way he found his own way, which had a lasting impact on the son, jerry Truman. Listen to how Jerry recounts his fond memories of his father and some important lessons he instilled in him. What are some of your first memories of you and your father?

Speaker 3 15:33

So many. But I guess, just going everywhere with you know whether it was the ball field, whether it was grocery store, in fact, you know when we would ask where are you going? Because going to see a man about a dog, that was like his random quote, I don't know where it came from, but it was basically just like either you're coming or you're not. So I, most of the time, I chose to go and, like I said, grocery stores somehow end up at an ice cream shop. Go to see a friend, go in the ballpark, whatever it was, he always included us. I mean, I would say that's the thing that I remember vividly and nowadays, like you know, when you think about kids and stuff like that, it's like oh, you got to make the kid happy. No, it was just, you go with them and you figure out how to have fun. You know, and it was kind of a you know way to use your imagination. It was just, it was cool.

Speaker 1 16:19

What did you take from that?

Speaker 3 16:21

At the time. Obviously, you're not taking anything from it, you're just doing right, sure, yeah. But what you realize is, I think, over time, is that experiences is what drives the bus. Just being interacting with other adults as a kid, or making jokes, or being able to interact with people your age older, younger, male, female, whatever it was and just putting you in a position where you were always like there was an expectation there. That was never forced, it just kind of naturally happened, and it made situations like this a lot easier. When you're interviewing for a podcast, yes, everybody gets nervous about it. When you speak in public or something, or you're interacting with business or trying to formulate your thoughts on the fly, when you have experiences like that, it creates a situation where you're able to do that without putting much thought into it.

Speaker 1 17:12

That's interesting because your oldest son, zach, which I've noticed, and now that you're talking about what your dad did with you you did the same thing with Zach, and so what I've noticed since he's now 20 in a couple of days is that he has the ability to get along with anybody at any age. So our friends that are 67 years old he can talk to them just as well as he can talk to his friends that are 20, because you did the same thing and put them kind of all of these different situations where you got to make fun with where you are and then you also have to interact with people of all different ages and from all different types of backgrounds. So let's talk a little bit about as you were growing up as a young child. Give me some of the memories that you have that really stick out with you about your dad.

Speaker 3 17:55

Well, I would say it's not just my dad, it would be like my entire family. So having my mom there at home was very helpful, just being able to just understand what it takes to run an household and then, my dad being home early from work, you could go to work early, come home early, so he was always involved in whatever we were doing.

Speaker 1 18:14

So tell me a little bit specifically some events that you had as a child, that you went with your dad, that were pretty significant.

Father's Influence on Family Values

Speaker 3 18:22

I would say that his softball games were probably the biggest because I mean, at six going to be seven, I would say that was a cool thing because I love playing baseball and you would just go and I'd keep score, interact with the guys. The one guy would give you Gatorade gum and stuff like that, so you know, and then those guys would sit around and drink beers after the game and my buddies would hit balls, like catch, like playground, so that kind of thing. Like I was saying. He'd take us everywhere that I don't know it. Just it felt natural and cool and it was good. Specifically, what they would also do is his neighbor. They had backyards that connected and they would have once a year they would have crab feast for, like I don't know, 300 people, maybe 500 people. They would just have these enormous parties.

Speaker 3 19:09

So and it was always with my dad, it was always had a job. What do you do? Go pick up the ice, go put the ice in the cooler, or go get the bread from upstairs and bring it downstairs, get the buns for the grill, light the grill, whatever, whatever it was. So you never felt like you were really kid in the scenario. You felt like you were a kid that was had responsibilities, right, and I think that's probably the fiber of my dad. It was like you kids busy and they stay out of trouble. Our constants were church, our family, our sports, the variables of the rest of the stuff family, work, how you know how that turns out. But when you have those kinds of constants family and church and community you can pretty much do anything. It gives you the opportunity to be able to do whatever you want, which is pretty cool.

Speaker 1 20:00

So I want you to go back into when you're in school and growing up. Are there any friends of yours that you know that grew up without father, an absentee father or just a father just wasn't involved in his day to day life?

Speaker 3 20:14

You know, I can't think of one that like there was no father, but there were definitely fathers that made their job the 100% priority, which, hey look that's. You know, everybody makes their own choices in life, and so there was a kid that would always kind of tag along with us when we go places or do things, and I don't think it was, you know, detrimental to his life, but you could definitely see a difference in his attitude and his, his willing to work at like sports, like I wasn't the most talented person in the world, but my dad was always working, always teaching us to do your best, work hard, you know, give it your all, and I think that's a life changer. I mean like work ethic, doesn't? You? Don't just wake up one morning with a workout, it's something that's built over decades and when you see your father doing that, when you see your mother doing that, that's how to learn. So I mean, when I teach you, I can teach you a workout.

Speaker 1 21:06

It is said that the measure of how successful you are as a man is if your children, as grown adults, still love being around you. Well, gerald's son, jerry, not only loves being around his father, he speaks of him so highly as if he were his hero. Listen to how Jerry describes the impact his father had, and still has, on him.

Speaker 3 21:27

While I was in college I had a job at a bank and when I came out of school I had this opportunity to become an investment advisor. And I said to my dad I was like, man, I don't know, it's a commissioned job and don't really make a salary. And right then I was making a good salary at the bank and I said what do you think? He said, jerry, what do I think? Because when I was your age I had two daughters living in an apartment. He said what decision would I have had? And I said, well, yeah, we go the path of security, right. And he said, well, what's your situation? I was like, well, I'm a single guy. And he's like just think about that and then make your decision. So basically I'm saying, hey, dummy, you got nothing to lose, do it.

Speaker 3 22:10

But he always did it with, instead of like teaching you what to think, was more like teaching you how to think and when, really your thoughts. Sorry, I get a little emotional. It's a cool thing that told me wrong. He's a disciplinarian and there was things that weren't up for debate, but when there was things about decisions you had to make, it was more framing the situation and letting you make the choice that you thought was best for you, instead of forcing you to or telling you what to do in those situations, which is not an easy thing to do for parents, Because parents, you know, I know what's best for my kid, I know what they should do. Well, that's good and fine. It's they have to figure that out. You can't force them into doing the right thing.

Speaker 1 22:52

And what were some of the things that he was very strict about?

Speaker 3 22:57

Oh, respect for my mom First and foremost. I learned that the hard way. Let's say, one time I said some not so kind words, but you knew where the line was and I crossed it and I never crossed it again, but just as well it's that. So you know respect for family, respect for my mom, respect for the church and what their community is, Just respect for your elders. Work hard, Don't do a job half-assed.

Speaker 1 23:25

Being involved within the church. Do you think that that had an impact on your upbringing as well?

Speaker 3 23:30

Absolutely, and not just the spiritual part. I think the spiritual part is what you know some people can get that out of church and some people can't. They're just not spiritual people. But going to church. It was time to get out of whatever routine you were in during the week or life and you spent an hour sitting with your family, not talking but just listening. And my dad always said you have two years in one mouth for one reason Listen twice as much as you talk.

Speaker 3 23:58

And I think if you have as a kid, you have that ability to sit still for an hour and even if you're not praying and you're not thinking about God, but just the ability to do that and be away from electronics or whatever the situation is, it is an invaluable asset to your happiness. You know, if you were always chasing happiness, happiness comes from within and there's. You know people talk, meditating and things like that I'm sure have the same type of impact. But really sitting in church for an hour and hot on your phone, not watching TV, not playing ball, it's time to reflect on what you're doing, and you're doing it together, you know, as a family and as a broader community of the people in the church.

Speaker 1 24:37

I heard you mentioned the two years in one mouth, so you learn how to listen twice as much as you speak. Now. Do you think that learning that it's a child through being a church has helped you in the profession that you're in now?

Speaker 3 24:50

Absolutely. In our business, our team, trimwell Management, have been saying that nobody cares what you know until you know you care. And the only way you can truly care for somebody is you have to listen. You have to read between the lines sometimes, which you have to listen about what their goals and objectives are, but what's? It could be a name or a term or a thing, but there's always something behind driving it, just like this conversation we're having. I didn't get to where I am because I just showed up here. It's because of the work my mom and dad, family, school and church have done with me throughout my life.

Speaker 1 25:23

As Jerry became a father himself, he found great purpose in passing down the timeless values instilled in him by his own father to his sons from the steadfast principles of integrity and hard work to the importance of compassion and resilience, Jerry is a living example of the values that shaped him. Jerry has guided his sons through life's journeys with these foundational principles that not only honor the legacy of his father, but also ensures that the essence of character and virtue endures across generations, creating a meaningful and lasting impact on the individuals they become. So what values did you take from your father that you would like to instill in your own children?

Speaker 3 26:04

Finish what you start. You start something, don't do it half-assed. Finish it and do it right and care for other people. And you know, don't just think about yourself, think about your family and your community that decisions you make and the choices you make have impact on them. Not just you Be your own person, but know that the choices you make impact others. What you do, how you act, reflects on a bigger piece than you, whether it's your family, whether it's your community, whether it's your team, whether it's your school, whatever it is.

Speaker 3 26:35

You may be an individual person, right, which is great. You want to be your own person, but you're part of a bigger unit and be respectful of that unit and work hard, respect your elders, respect your parents, listen, save money. The thing is that people are always chasing money and they're really not living their life. They're just chasing money or chasing to buy something. But if you can save money and the money stays there and that builds something, then that creates a whole different attitude about the way you live your life and then you're living your life of stability. I mean, that's just what it creates. And if you have more stability in the home, having a peaceful home creates opportunity for growth, just does.

Speaker 1 27:16

What type of impact do you think your father has had on your children, his grandchildren?

Speaker 3 27:22

Stuff but fun. He treats them a lot like he treated me. Sometimes, you know they'd box around, hit around with each other. And you know we were just driving in his GTL convertible the other day and the kids just love it. They love it, they love cars. And my dad was explaining him how the oil works in the car the other day the Dominic and you know he's grasping it.

Speaker 3 27:42

And the thing about kids is that they're not understanding everything you're saying and they don't know it. They don't have a huge knowledge base. So then he was grabbing whatever they had and they'll use it at different points in time. So my dad loved cars. He was working on cars all the time. I mean, I stuck there with him and he was not knowing what the hell he was doing or really having any interest in working on the car, had interest in other things, but I did it because he loved doing it. So you grab some piece of that. So now I love cars. I don't love ripping out a transmission and rebuilding it, but I certainly have a love for classic cars and fast cars and things like that. And so I think and all the boys do too I think that's already kind of happened and instilled in them from my dad, but also the other stuff too listen, have to listen, and listening is important.

Speaker 1 28:32

It's not common that a 20-year-old calls their father their best friend, but Zach does. This is a product of the rich legacy of wisdom, hard work, an immense amount of love that both Gerald and Jerry provided each other and Zach. This story of fatherhood wouldn't be complete without hearing from Zach and the lasting impact left on him from the father figures in his life.

Speaker 4 28:57

My grandfather. I was around him a lot more when I was young than I am now, but I still love every moment I spend with him, whether it's playing cards or watching a football game or hanging out with him just sitting on the couch and talking. I love him Not, you know, kind of have to, but he makes it easy. He's a really stand-up guy and I just love talking to him.

Speaker 1 29:21

How would you describe him, his personality?

Speaker 4 29:24

He's very straightforward. He likes to tell you what you're thinking, but he does it in a loving way. He'll always want to build you up. He loves every member of his family. Yeah, he's just a loving guy that I feel like I could spend every day with.

Speaker 1 29:39

What is one of your favorite memories with your grandfather?

Speaker 4 29:42

Tailgates at Redskins games. Just you know standing there talking football with him while he's making the sausages or his sliders. Or you know he's drinking a jack and coke, because that's all he drinks.

Speaker 1 29:57

What do you think that you've learned from your grandfather?

Speaker 4 29:59

I've just learned to be hardworking. You know he was a very hardworking guy. He provided for his family, just like my dad is very hardworking guy, he provides for his family, and I've learned from both of them that that's a very important trait for a person, especially someone that I aspire to be.

Speaker 1 30:15

Let's talk a little bit about your dad. How would you describe your father?

Speaker 4 30:19

My dad is you know, for lack of better words even though he probably isn't, he's probably one of my best friends. I love my dad. I see him as one of my heroes, one of my role models, someone I really look up to and someone I aspire to be like.

Speaker 1 30:34

And so what are some of your favorite memories of your dad that you've had so far?

Speaker 4 30:39

I mean, we've eaten cereal for dinner together before. I love, you know, just being out with him, whether it's with the little guys, dominic and Antonio, or if it's just the two of us. We used to go out to breakfast all the time together. I love going to cap scams with him. I love sitting down and just talking to him, just like him and grandpa. I feel like I could sit down and talk to them for hours.

Speaker 1 31:00

What are one or two things that dad, or either you know, your grandfather, has taught you that will serve you better in life as a father?

Speaker 4 31:11

You know, I touched on it before be hardworking and just it's really important to be yourself, not to change for anybody, and to just know what I want and not, I mean, take everyone's thoughts into account, but make sure you know what you want. And also, both of them have taught me to be as helpful as possible to anybody around me that needs it.

Speaker 1 31:36

Do you think you would be the person that you are without the involvement or the, let's say, the influence of your grandfather or your dad?

Speaker 4 31:46

Absolutely not. I think my dad and my grandfather have had tremendous impact on my life and I wouldn't be anywhere close to where I am right now without either of them.

Speaker 1 31:58

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