Episode 8: The Everyday Heroes
When I think about heroes, it's hard for me to relate to famous people, since all I know about them is what I've read or seen in the media.
They seem larger-than-life and, in a way, not really real, you know?
But there are some people I've known in my own life who I consider heroes.
Family members, friends, teachers, church and community leaders – all just normal, everyday people who I admire for their their noble qualities.
They may not have been heroes to the world, but they were heroes to me and probably other people as well.
There are probably people in your own life you feel that way about.
Someone doesn't have to save the world to be considered a hero. They just need to be able to impact the lives of others in a positive way.
While researching information for this episode, I came across personals columns in the Sentinel-Echo for the African American community in Laurel County.
The columns contained the everyday happenings in the lives of ordinary people in the community.
They also included several obituaries – those short biographies of the people with connections to the community who had passed away.
Most of the people in these obituaries were just ordinary people who lived their lives day to day, going to work or staying home and taking care of their families.
People who were involved in their churches, schools and communities, and who cared enough to make a difference in the lives of others.
Most of them never had any outstanding achievements, though a couple of them also left their mark on the world outside of Laurel County.
But I'm pretty sure most, if not all, of them were heroes to someone – a family member, a friend, maybe even a stranger to whom they showed an unexpected kindness or performed a noble deed.
Because I believe that most people – especially ordinary, everyday people – are heroes to someone, some time in their lives.
Since I don't have enough information to spend a full episode on any one of these individuals, I thought I would include several of them in this one episode.
Obituaries included in this episode are:
Thomas Griffin, December 30, 1920
Willie Bellm Parrott, March 2, 1935
Robert Beatty, May 23, 1935
Robert Butner, February 12, 1939
Emma Jackson, February 23, 1939
William Baker, February 22, 1939
Bessie Cruse, February 23, 1939
Annie Carr, February 23, 1939
Mrs. Thomas [Sidney Adams] Griffin, March 6, 1939
John S. Goins, March 12, 1939
Clarence Thacker, March 12, 1939
Lula Thacker, April 30, 1939
Charles Etter, June 1, 1939
Henry Kyles, December 30, 1940
Stephen Griffin, January 26, 1945
Episode 8: The Everyday Heroes
When I think about heroes, it's hard for me to relate to famous people, since all I know about them is what I've read or seen in the media.
They seem larger-than-life and, in a way, not really real, you know?
But there are some people I've known in my own life who I consider heroes.
Family members, friends, teachers, church and community leaders – all just normal, everyday people who I admire for their their noble qualities.
They may not have been heroes to the world, but they were heroes to me and probably other people as well.
There are probably people in your own life you feel that way about.
Someone doesn't have to save the world to be considered a hero. They just need to be able to impact the lives of others in a positive way.
While researching information for this episode, I came across personals columns in the Sentinel-Echo for the African American community in Laurel County.
The columns contained the everyday happenings in the lives of ordinary people in the community.
They also included several obituaries – those short biographies of the people with connections to the community who had passed away.
Most of the people in these obituaries were just ordinary people who lived their lives day to day, going to work or staying home and taking care of their families.
People who were involved in their churches, schools and communities, and who cared enough to make a difference in the lives of others.
Most of them never had any outstanding achievements, though a couple of them also left their mark on the world outside of Laurel County.
But I'm pretty sure most, if not all, of them were heroes to someone – a family member, a friend, maybe even a stranger to whom they showed an unexpected kindness or performed a noble deed.
Because I believe that most people – especially ordinary, everyday people – are heroes to someone, some time in their lives.
Since I don't have enough information to spend a full episode on any one of these individuals, I thought I would include several of them in this one episode.
Obituaries included in this episode are:
Thomas Griffin, December 30, 1920
Willie Bellm Parrott, March 2, 1935
Robert Beatty, May 23, 1935
Robert Butner, February 12, 1939
Emma Jackson, February 23, 1939
William Baker, February 22, 1939
Bessie Cruse, February 23, 1939
Annie Carr, February 23, 1939
Mrs. Thomas [Sidney Adams] Griffin, March 6, 1939
John S. Goins, March 12, 1939
Clarence Thacker, March 12, 1939
Lula Thacker, April 30, 1939
Charles Etter, June 1, 1939
Henry Kyles, December 30, 1940
Stephen Griffin, January 26, 1945