52 Ancestors Week 35: School

From Amy Johnson Crow: It's back to school time—one of my favorite times of the year! Have you thought about your ancestor's education? Any teachers or principals in the family? Have you ever visited your ancestor's old school (or maybe you attended the same school)?

Wow. I'm pretty strict.

   

     Going back to school every year was a always fun and enjoyable experience. My mother would take my brother and I to the mall and we'd get new clothes for the year. Growing up in New Hampshire meant that the first hint of fall was in the air the second we felt cool breezes while we put the boat away for the winter. Trees were starting to change color, too. When September hits New England, it hits it hard and without apology! By the '90s, my mom would play "Back to Life" by Soul II Soul on the way to school. It never failed! We'd be in the car and she'd start playing the song or sang it. My mother has a twisted sense of humor. 

    Recently, my parents celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary and in honor of that momentous occasion, I thought it'd be a good idea to talk about them since I rarely do so in the blog since they are living and have every opportunity in the world to read "All Roads Lead to Haverhill". Hi, Mom! Hi, Dad!

Check out those 1970s sideburns.

    School has always been important to my parents Dr. James Ferraiolo and Diane Hamel. They met at Suffolk University in Boston where my father was studying to be a dentist. My mom was studying blood and was beginning her career as a lab technician. I don't have to tell you that seeing their medical journals as a curious six year old was an eye-opening experience. Some things you just can't unsee at that age. They met while attending a chemistry class. I guess you could say they had....good chemistry? I can hear the "boos". Your "boos" give me strength!

    Education was and still is a big deal for my father because he was the first in his family to go to college. His father, Marco, went right to the army and once he came home he didn't continue his education. My grandma, Ollie, graduated Haverhill High and didn't go off to college. So, it was a big deal for him to go to Boston and get that degree in dentistry.

    It didn't stop there. When I was little, my father would teach kids about the importance of dental health in either his office or at my school. I remember one time my father would talk to my class about why we should take care of our teeth. It's hilarious in hindsight because my dad doesn't just have a sweet tooth. He loves desserts! Still, it left a mark on my classmates and they would tell me about that time my father went to school to talk about dental health. I'd smile because they have no idea how many gross pictures I've seen. Thank you, New England Journal of Medicine.

She still talks about
"ratty sneakers". 

    My mom always felt that education was important, too. Her parents were hard workers and she needed to help wrangle....er....take care of her five younger brothers and sisters. She was the oldest and so she needed to help her parents out. She was also the first in her family to graduate college. While in high school at Newburyport High, my mother learned French while studying to be a medical technologist. Learning French would end up being VERY helpful.

    Later in life, her grandmother Henrietta Legault had a seizure and this caused her to only speak in French. Diane ended up communicating with her. The lessons she learned paid off. See! Learning a second language CAN be useful. Take that everyone who said learning another language was for "suckers"!

   

    Austin and Henrietta were actually at my parents' wedding in 1971 and I've seen their picture. Henrietta was wearing an eye patch and she looked okay despite her age. I imagine my mother greeted her in French on that special day.

1960s Dad needed sideburns.

   

     After the wedding, my parents didn't go right on their honeymoon. Although, they did end up going to Jamaica some years later. No, they got into the car and drove to New Jersey where they were living. Why? Well, they still had classes to attend and my dad was getting his doctorate. They clearly didn't waste time relaxing as there was science to do!  That doesn't mean they didn't have fun every now and then. They do. It's just that education was and still is a big deal for them given their backgrounds.

    Since their parents didn't continue on with their education and everything, it made sense that they would place a high value on that and in time they became very successful in their respective fields. My father eventually became president of the New Hampshire Dental Association for a few years and my mother became a lab supervisor at Merrimack Medical Labs. Not too bad, right?

    Learning about why my parents valued school allowed me to understand why they put some pressure on my brother and I to do the best we could in our academic efforts. They never forced us to buckle down and study or anything. But, they did explain why it was important. Their parents and those before them didn't have the opportunities for school like they did. That's why they encouraged my brother and I to learn as much as we could.

    In the end it worked. My brother works as a IT specialist at the University of Virginia and I take care of the billing for my father. We both value hard work and though we clearly didn't go into the medical field like our parents did, we still liked helping people out in any way we could. It's pretty obvious why they valued education and thinking about it more makes me realize just how lucky my brother and I were growing up in an age where there were many opportunities waiting for us that generations before them did not have.

See ya next time! And happy anniversary, Mom and Dad!