Cool things your grandparents did

[Viking]

I'm routinely negative re: my own parents so let's do something positive. Who cares if this is braggadocio? That's the point. They're your grandparents!

My paternal grandfather (god rest his soul) routinely guest conducted the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, usually when paired with a chorus.

From 1965 to 1990, you couldn't go to the Metropolitan Opera without hearing one of his students perform. He was widely regarded in Europe and the US as the premier operatic vocal coach as well as making his Chicago-area university's music program a destination for soloists in-training.

His sephardic mother performed the part of Solveig in Greig's Peer Gynt in Oslo at the turn of the century and had a beautiful voice that inspired him to devote his life's career to female operatic performance.

His funeral was a "who's who" of opera of the last four decades.

I had no idea of his professional status/relevance until after he died.

Robert Hales, my dad's bishop growing up, told us that had grandpa stayed active, there was no doubt he would have been the Mo Tab director for decades.

[Katy Lied]

My grandfather, raised in Am Fark, while in 10th grade was locked in a one-room schoolhouse after hours and told to write something on the board 200 times as punishment. Not wishing to oblige, he opened a window, escaped out the side, and never went back. He became a beet digger, though not a Jordan Beet Digger.

My other grandfather served a 40-year LDS mission. (Actually about 39 years).

[marsupial]

My grandmother spent a lot of time as a child at Hearst Castle. Her father, [ame]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Swinnerton[/ame], was a cartoonist and a landscape artist. He was not actually her bio dad, but adopted her after marrying her mother, who did some writing for the newspapers.

Here's an animated cartoon from his comic strip Canyon Kiddies:

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[YOhio]

My grandmother earned her bachelor and master degrees while raising eight children.

[PaloAltoCougar]

My paternal grandfather married, at 20, my grandmother when she was 16, and not because they “had to.” In the next 20+ years, they had nine kids. All the while, and through the Depression, my gramps worked in a Carbon County coal mine, and was paid by how much coal he managed to mine each day. He later worked in the Geneva steel mill, and eventually died of emphysema and Black Lung disease. He accomplished absolutely nothing of note, but he established a loving home, supported a very large family without assistance, and instilled in my dad and his siblings the values that created the Greatest Generation.

[Pheidippides]

Spent 9 months in a nazi concentration/pow camp and survived.

[DU Ute]

My other grandfather served a 40-year LDS mission. (Actually about 39 years).

That's crazy. Glad he snuck away from his companion long enough to sire one of your parents.

[New Mexican Disaster]

My grandpa retired at 39. Not because he was rich, but because he did not like working, and my grandma was better at it than him. He then proceeded to become a horrible alcoholic and beligerent person. But then again, almost all of us who share his genes are the same (beligerent and a fair share of alcoholics, although some of the Mormons are not).

He died of a heart attack on Christmas day. My grandma said "well Grandpa ruined another Christmas." That about sums it up.

My grandma was a very capable hard working, extremely sharp witted person that tolerated him.

[Surfah]

Gidget's greatgrandfather was in a band with Mel Blanc. I learned that over Christmas and saw the pics to prove it.

[MarkGrace]

My grandparents were awesome and I miss them a lot. Grandma had a bachelor's and master's degree, which was not exactly common for her generation. She taught honors English and German at Orem High for a lot of years. Her dedication to educational pursuits has always been a big inspiration for me. When she died everyone was fighting over her jewelry and figurines and stuff like that, but I wanted her books. I scored this first edition printing of Capote's In Cold Blood, and it's pretty much my prize possession. If my apartment caught on fire, it would be the first thing I saved.

Grandpa played hoop at Utah St. and as a young dude their team was invited to tryout for the Olympics. Four college teams played at Madison Square Garden and the winner got the right to represent the US in the Olympics. They lost to Kansas, but still cool. And while they were out there Jack Dempsey invited them over to his place. Also cool.

Gramps was also the first principal at Marsh Valley High, and their first basketball coach. He started working the team out before the gym was finished and they even had a hoop, so he ran them through all these ball handling and defensive drills. I used to love those stories. So Hoosiers.

Anyway, he left Marsh Valley to take a job as a teacher and counselor in the education department at BYU, and that's how the family ended up in Utah and our love affair with all things Cougs began (both my grandparents did undergrad and master's at Utah St. -- I sense a trend here for Cougar greats!). When I was a little kid we'd head down to their house on Saturdays and grandma would make us sandwiches and a little something to eat before the games. Then we'd walk from their house over to the staidum. The last couple of years going to games just hasn't been the same without being able to stop at their place before the game.

[San Juan Sun]

Spent 9 months in a nazi concentration/pow camp and survived.

My grandfather flew in a B-17, and was shot down after a mission over Romania. He was of 2 airman to escape the plane, was strafed (and hit) by German fighters while in his parachute. He survived a forced POW march to France, and spent the rest of the war there. He had many other amazing stories from this period of his life.

He returned to Vernal, Utah and lived as a rancher, teacher, and later on a judge.

[San Juan Sun]

He died of a heart attack on Christmas day. My grandma said "well Grandpa ruined another Christmas." That about sums it up.

My grandma was a very capable hard working, extremely sharp witted person that tolerated him.

Grandma sounds awesome.

[Omaha 680]

My maternal grandfather died in a car accident when my mom was 9. I hope to meet him some day as my mom's family have told me I look and act a lot like him. He was stationed in Panama during WWII, so he didn't see combat. He did meet my grandma in the service though. She was a welder and repaired ships. In my favorite pictures of them, grandma is in her welding gear holding her torch and mask and grandpa is in his uniform.

My paternal grandfather lived to within a couple months of 100, passing away only 5 years ago. He didn't go to college, but was one of the harsest workers I've ever known. He held numerous different jobs and owned numerous different businesses in his lifetime. He died with almost nothing, but he and grandma got all their kids to college and graduated 2 engineers, 1 architect, and a journalist. Because he was always so active, he was in incredible shape. I'll never forget him hiking to the upper emerald pool in Zion National Park with me when I was 15 and he was 85. He was like superman.

[hostile]

My grandpa retired at 39. Not because he was rich, but because he did not like working, and my grandma was better at it than him. He then proceeded to become a horrible alcoholic and beligerent person. But then again, almost all of us who share his genes are the same (beligerent and a fair share of alcoholics, although some of the Mormons are not).

He died of a heart attack on Christmas day. My grandma said "well Grandpa ruined another Christmas." That about sums it up.

My grandma was a very capable hard working, extremely sharp witted person that tolerated him.

Sounds similar to my paternal grandfather.

[UtahDan]

My grandfather to take out his teeth and put them back in.