I loved my Grandfather Ernest Tarpley so much, I gave him a new name..."Poppo" I'm not sure what my other two older cousins called him before I came along. Poppo was very special to me, I spent ALL my summers with him, I lived with him for almost a year and I was his favorite...no doubt about it (sorry yinz, you know who your are). He is single-handedly probably the person most responsible for my gloriously happy childhood. I could write a whole book (and maybe I will) on him and our relationship over those few short ten years.
Last week I was handed a big surprise about him...I found his 1935 high school diploma and report card. I was absolutely floored...How could I have not known he graduated from highschool? All of his younger siblings did, I have their high school graduation announcements. Why is it I never thought he graduated, is it because he worked in the deep, cold DIRTYcoal mines of Pennsylvania, because he served in CC camps at the age of 17-18? I'm mad at myself for never asking someone. I guess I made an assumption without asking for the facts...but his brothers graduated and they worked in the mines...WHY DIDN'T I KNOW HE GRADUATED HIGH SCHOOL! WHY!
What a treasure!
Posted by: Treva | September 02, 2010 at 11:40 AM