Strange emotions this week. The 28th of April is the one year anniversary of mom’s death, and next week is the 40th reunion of my West Point class, celebrating our graduation in 1978. As I think about the two events, I have no doubts that it was because of mom that I made it to West Point, and that changed my life.

It was spring of my sophomore year at Ottawa High School. Mom was the principal’s secretary at OHS, and knew everything that was happening at school. One evening over dinner she said “you know, you’re pretty smart, but dad and I don’t have the money to send you kids to college. If you plan to go to college, you need to work, or receive some kind of scholarship. By the way, Colin Willis is back on spring break from West Point next week, and is giving a talk here at school. Maybe you should go hear what he has to say.”

Everyone knew Colin. He was a senior my freshman year at OHS and was all-state in football and wrestling. I played football and wrestled, and while not at his level, I knew him a bit from both sports. So, I thought about it, and the next week I went to hear Colin. He gave a great talk, made West Point sound interesting, and basically said that if you worked hard, you had a good chance of getting in, and then surviving there.

I worked hard in high school, but I think mom worked harder to propel me along the way. She pushed me to talk with the counsellors I needed to see at school; found a connection for me with a local businessman (Mr Thornton) who wrote a letter of recommendation and and sent it to our Congressman; typed up my applications and cataloged all of my “achievements” for both our congressman and for West Point; kept dinners warm on the stove when I came home late from football or wrestling practice; and of course provided me with encouragement and a push from behind, along the way.

On Thanksgiving day of my senior year at OHS, I received the first and only telegram of my life. It was from our congressman, informing me I had received one of his nominations to West Point. On March 8th, just after lunch, a call came over the intercom at high school to report to the principal’s office. I arrived in the office and mom gave me a huge hug. She had gone home for lunch and there was a letter waiting for me there. I had been accepted to West Point.

I made it through West Point, not without a few challenges along the way. With that, the arc of my life changed in many ways that I could not imagine as a boy of eighteen.

Looking back now, with my West Point 40th Reunion approaching, it’s easier to see many of the turning points and influences in my life, although they may not have been so clear when happening. One of the things that is very clear, is mom’s work getting me to the Military Academy. A West Point classmate of mine, Scott Shorr, wrote a song called “Gone so Long”. It’s about returning to the Academy for a visit after many years away. I’ve listened to it several times and a part of the refrain always touches me – the line goes “My mom’s persistence, probably led me there….” With that line, Scott summed up my experience perfectly.

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Mom, It’s a year now since your death. I just wanted to say I miss you, and thank you for all you did. I know your persistence put me on a different path in life, and that’s a debt I can never repay.