A letter from James, Sundance's guardian:
Grandpa would read the L.A. Times from beginning to end. He would already have finished a third of the paper by the time we sat down for cream of wheat. Never leaving an article unread, with the robust glasses he wore, he would jab us with ideas he read from the opinion section. I would glance over to Moonie, not knowing this would later turn out to be my first introductory class to political science, only to later on graduate with a B.A. in Sociology and a Master's in Business Administration.
Moonie would often tell me when grandpa was young, he shined shoes and sold the local newspaper in Santa Fe, New Mexico. He had a routine customer who would tell him he would never be able to read, all while grandpa shined his boots and smiled. Funny how someone's negative attitude and backward thinking can affect people for years to come.
The mind is a terrible thing to waste. At least that is what my Moonie always told me. I never really understood what this all meant till one day when grandpa died. He never opened up with me, only if it was early in the morning while drinking a cup of folgers, two pieces of toast with peanut butter spread evenly from side to side and the L.A Times Opinion section.
So on this day, I salute you my Dear Old Grandpa. Happy 99th Birthday!
Grandpa was too strong willed and minded to allow some small grain of fear enter his brain. Instead it fueled him to learn to read.
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