I have received some nudges from friends and colleagues to start writing again. This blog provides me a means to develop my voice, which will help me gain the confidence to begin submitting proposals to facilitate leadership development sessions. If you have any ideas where I can begin submitting event proposals, please do not hesitate to contact me via ghormel@outlook.com.
As I get reacquainted with this home page on my blog, I will help you get acquainted as well. Why do I have these particular videos on my home page?
I am a child of the 1960’s and 70’s and grew up in Washington State's Columbia Basin Project, which provides irrigation to a portion of the vast scab lands that provide ample space for dry land wheat farming and cattle ranching for the rugged of heart, body, and soul.
My dad was an attorney who also wanted to farm. When I was old enough to help take care of my younger siblings, my mother was dad's office manager and legal assistant. I was fascinated with the Law Office and my parent's work.
I was a 4th grader in rural Washington when I watched Sidney Poitier in To Sir, with Love. That movie made a big impression on me. I also can't deny that my little nine year-old self loved the theme song as well. I also was curious by the city life portrayed in that movie. And, since the Beatles and Rolling Stones were phenomenally popular English bands at the time, it helped my little girl imagination go beyond the 80 acre potato farm that served as my play ground.
Wikipedia makes it easy to do a little bit of research:
“A 1967 British drama film that deals with social and racial
issues in an inner city school. It stars Sidney Poitier and features Christian
Roberts, Judy Geeson, Suzy Kendall and singer Lulu making her film debut. James
Clavell (who had written The Children's Story three years prior) directed from
his own screenplay, which was based on E. R. Braithwaite's 1959
autobiographical novel of the same name.
The film's title song, To Sir with Love, sung by Lulu,
reached number one on the U.S. pop charts for five weeks in the autumn of 1967
and ultimately was Billboard magazine's No. 1 pop single for that year. The
movie ranked number 27 on Entertainment Weekly's list of the 50 Best High
School Movies. (August 28, 2015. "50 Best High School Movies".
Entertainment Weekly.)”
Sidney Poitier was born in 1927 and is now 92 years young. He
enlisted in the Army during WWII and served in 1943 and 1944. “Poitier has written three autobiographical books: This Life (1980), The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography (2000), and Life Beyond Measure – Letters to my Great-Granddaughter
(2008, an Oprah's Book Club selection).
Marie McDonald McLaughlin Lawrie was born in 1948 and grew
up in Glasgow, Scotland. “… At the age of 12 or 13, she and her manager approached a
band called the Bellrocks seeking stage experience as a singer. She appeared
with them every Saturday night: Alex Thomson, the group's bass player, has
reported that even then her voice was remarkable. ("Interview: Lulu,
singer". The Scotsman. Edinburgh. 9 October 2009. Retrieved 19 August
2015.) … At age 14, she received the stage name Lulu from her
future manager Marion Massey, who commented: "Well, all I know is that
she's a real lulu[a] of a kid. (Room,
Adrian (2012). Dictionary of Pseudonyms: 13,000 Assumed Names and Their Origins
(5th ed.). McFarland. p. 298. ISBN 9780786457632.) "
YouTube "To Sir With Love"
YouTube "To Sir With Love"
“Apollo 11 was the spaceflight that landed the first two
people on the Moon. Commander Neil Armstrong and lunar module pilot Buzz
Aldrin, both American, landed the Apollo Lunar Module Eagle on July 20, 1969,
at 20:17 UTC. Armstrong became the first person to step onto the lunar surface
six hours later on July 21 at 02:56:15 UTC; Aldrin joined him 19 minutes later.
They spent about two and a quarter hours together outside the spacecraft, and
collected 47.5 pounds (21.5 kg) of lunar material to bring back to Earth.
Command module pilot Michael Collins flew the command module Columbia alone in
lunar orbit while they were on the Moon's surface. Armstrong and Aldrin spent
21.5 hours on the lunar surface before rejoining Columbia in lunar orbit.
Apollo 11 was launched by a Saturn V rocket from Kennedy
Space Center on Merritt Island, Florida, on July 16 at 13:32 UTC, and was the
fifth crewed mission of NASA's Apollo program. The Apollo spacecraft had three
parts: a command module (CM) with a cabin for the three astronauts, and the
only part that returned to Earth; a service module (SM), which supported the
command module with propulsion, electrical power, oxygen, and water; and a
lunar module (LM) that had two stages – a descent stage for landing on the
Moon, and an ascent stage to place the astronauts back into lunar orbit.
After being sent to the Moon by the Saturn V's third stage,
the astronauts separated the spacecraft from it and traveled for three days
until they entered lunar orbit. Armstrong and Aldrin then moved into Eagle and
landed in the Sea of Tranquility. The astronauts used Eagle's ascent stage to
lift off from the lunar surface and rejoin Collins in the command module. They
jettisoned Eagle before they performed the maneuvers that blasted them out of
lunar orbit on a trajectory back to Earth. They returned to Earth and splashed
down in the Pacific Ocean on July 24 after more than eight days in space.
Armstrong's first step onto the lunar surface was broadcast
on live TV to a worldwide audience. He described the event as ‘one small step
for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind.’ (Jones, Eric M., ed. 1995. "One
Small Step". Apollo 11 Lunar Surface Journal. NASA. Retrieved June 13,
2013.). Apollo 11 effectively ended the
Space Race and fulfilled a national goal proposed in 1961 by President John F.
Kennedy: ‘before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning
him safely to the Earth.’ (Stenger, Richard. May 25, 2001. "Man on the
Moon: Kennedy speech ignited the dream". CNN. Archived from the original
on June 6, 2010. Retrieved December 30, 2018.).”
NASA Apollo 11 Landing and Moon Walk
Not all blogs will be filled with Wikipedia excerpts. I promise! Going back, however, and reliving some of those childhood memories, helps me move forward. I guess it's because it helps remind me of how I have developed into the woman I am now.
I was so impressed by the strength, wisdom, dedication, and vulnerability that Sidney Poitier exhibited in To Sir, With Love. From that moment on, I wanted to be a teacher! I watched that movie and all of Sidney Poitier's movies whenever I could. I have looked up to him ever since I was nine. Isn't that amazing?
The 60's and 70's were tumultuous times. Future blogs will mention many more ground breakers of that time period who influenced me, as I was growing up and the world became smaller and smaller -- because of broadcast media and how it has evolved through the decades of my life.
I think back about those who were courageous on behalf of humankind, like Sidney Poitier, and those who were courageous and braved technological feats, such as those who have contributed to space exploration through the decades. I find this an interesting dichotomy. How about you? I am amazed and awestruck by all that has occurred during my lifetime! Takes me back and moves me forward.