The Gift of Education

April 4th marked my Grandma Dorothy’s birthday. Born in 1922, she would have turned 95.

Grandma Banwart passed away in 2002 when I was only 8 years old. My warmest memories of her consist of the books she used to read to me and the songs we sang together while she played the piano.

Grandma’s love for music and literature must have rubbed off on me. Reading and piano playing remain two of my favorite pastimes.

Although I don’t remember much about Grandma Dorothy, the lessons she taught me still guide my life today.

Grandma Dorothy was a firm believer in the value of education. She attended St. John’s Catholic School in Bancroft, Iowa, and graduated as the valedictorian of her class in May 1939.

My grandmother would have been a successful academic, but she never had the opportunity to attend college. Instead, her sense of duty to her family led her to stay home and care for the books at her father’s butcher shop and grocery store in Bancroft.

Nevertheless, higher education continued to be a priority for my Grandma Dorothy, and she was determined to impart those same values to the next generation. She gave the gift of a college education to both of her children, my dad and my Aunt Patsy, and started college savings plans for each of her 4 grandchildren when we were born.

According to my dad, one of Grandma Dorothy’s famous quotes was “with hard work and practice, you can be anything you want to be.”

Following her advice, I chose to pursue my Master’s degree in agricultural communications at Iowa State University. This week my persistence and dedication will be rewarded as I walk across the stage at the graduate commencement ceremony.

Thanks to Grandma Dorothy, I am well on my way to becoming the “anything” I want to be. I know she would be proud of this educational achievement, and I am touched by the thought that my academic aspirations celebrate Grandma Dorothy’s lasting legacy.