Girl reading. — Jooin Images
A Little Girl Read…
…my piece about James Edward Hanger (see below). She thought of a relative who had been injured in the war. She thought of his struggles. The article inspired her. She found the historical marker about him in her little town of Churchville, Virginia. She had a dream. She drew pictures of how to make a better artificial leg. She struggled with the concept. “How,” she wondered, “could it become a reality?” But she kept believing she would find an answer. People overcame great challenges in the past, she reasoned. She too would find a way!
A little boy read…
…my piece about how Tom Kelly [click to read] and how the Grumman engineers developed the lunar lander. He struggled in school, but this ‘reluctant reader’ also found my story about George Westinghouse [click to read]. That story encouraged him to learn. It encouraged him to build things. Though his youth was a struggle, he persisted. He had a dream.
You want to know why I write?
Let’s Look into the Future…
Yes, boy meets girl. But it’s not a romance. It’s a collaboration. Girl’s great idea to improve a prosthesis is now a shared passion for both. Young people with vision, coming together. Well, if indeed they are a husband and wife team, that’s a plus. Then they raise kids who see their parents build and do incredible things! The point is — they do incredible things.
Young people need dreams. They need mentors in faith and optimism. They need to learn these things. Too much media these days does not inspire or encourage. It does the opposite. The media is quick to tell you that the world is a mess. Frankly, I don’t need their report to know it. What they don’t tell us is how the world was a mess in the ‘good old days’ too. Every generation has had its challenges. Good history tells how good people overcame them. It’s not a boring recitation of dates, but a map, as it were, for the generations to follow. It spurs the imagination!
Exploring interests, learning things, being inspired, and building the future — that’s my passion. That’s why I am here.
The little girl and the little boy are fictional. I don’t really get the statistics of who is reading my articles. Sometimes I wonder if anyone is out there? Is anyone being encouraged by what I do? Sometimes I just want to go for a long walk on some mountain and soak up some wild beauty.
But then Paula comes up to me at church and says how much she loves reading what I write. She’s encouraged by it. Maybe others are too. Maybe that little girl and boy are really out there. Maybe I am helping them as they write the story of the future. Yep!, that’s why I’m here — helping to write the story of the future…
James Edward Hanger
How a Crippled Civil War Vet Invented Prosthetics [click to read]
Driving through the small town of Churchville, Virginia, it is easy to miss the historical marker dedicated to James Hanger. The house where he lived is gone. People whizz by on U.S. Highway 250, unaware of the man who changed the lives of thousands of wounded warriors. Hanger was born on February 25, 1843, and enjoyed a rather normal boyhood. Exhibiting a talent for engineering, he enrolled in 1860 in Washington College (now Washington and Lee University in Lexington, Virginia).
He was on his way to a promising career, excelling in his studies, when the Civil War broke out. Heeding the call of duty, he left school. James, his two older brothers, and four cousins enlisted in the Churchville Cavalry. It was in the first land battle of the war—the Battle of Philippi in West Virginia—that Hanger was seriously wounded. A 6-pound cannon ball struck his left leg near the knee, severely mangling the leg. To make matters worse, the injured young man was captured by Union forces and became a prisoner of war. (read more)
Historical Marker in Churchville, Virginia. Photo by Bob Kirchman