Grandparents' Day

Today is Grandparents’ Day at Casady.

I love Grandparents’ Day. Many independent schools take one day each year to celebrate with the grandparents of students by having a performance, showing off class projects and generally observing all things good about grandparents being in the lives of children. I suppose part of my fondness for this day is the celebration of children and the wonder with which they start each new day. But I would be lying if I said it wasn’t a great excuse for me to reflect on my grandparents and how they have impacted my life.

Knowing all of my paternal and maternal grandparents and having them live no more than a mile from my childhood home puts me in fairly exclusive company. My maternal grandfather, Papa, died when I was in elementary school so memories are sketchy but I do recall watching plenty of Grand Prix Wrestling in his den with him. His wife, our Gaga, lived to almost 100 years of age and passed in 2007 having served as my Gin Rummy partner for many years. Nanny is my paternal grandmother who is still living in her own home. While she may not be quite as spry as she once was her days as a one room school teacher have spawned many great stories that I have absorbed and applied in my line of work.

Perhaps the one person who had the most significant impact on my life through my college years was Berton Warden Huestis – my paternal grandfather and the man I considered amongst my best friends growing up. I had the good fortune of living approximately 300 yards from Bert until I went away to college which afforded us opportunities for great chats, time in his darkroom and watching plenty of Celtics games in his basement! He was an insurance agent, professional photographer and former Mayor of our small Eastern Canadian city. The photo link shows Bert escorting Queen Elizabeth during her 1959 visit with Prince Phillip to our fair city (the woman directly over Bert’s left shoulder is Nanny). Bert was famous for being everyone’s friend and whether he knew it or not he was much more than that to me. He taught me how to treat people, how to listen and that while we should work hard and do all that we can in our time on earth – he didn’t take life too seriously. Bert’s laugh, actually it was more of a chuckle, is one of my favorite memories as I think back to our days at the summer cottage sitting by the river eating breakfast as the sun came up over the horizon – just me and Bert and his take on the world.

In many ways I believe that Bert helped shape who I am and what I do today. He showed me how powerful it is to help young people distinguish between right and wrong and how wonderful it can be to act as a mentor through both words and actions. In small ways, I hope I fill that role for young people in my position as a school leader, and certainly as a father to Xavier Berton Huestis. I hope that Bert is watching!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours.

My best,

Peter Berton Huestis