The Transylvania Times -

My father is my hero. A self-made man who worked as a short-order cook to support his siblings and mother during the Depression, he attended college on the GI bill after serving in the Army Air Corps during WWII and retired in 1987 as vice president of a Fortune 500 company.

My father was one of the most competitive people I’ve ever known. He loved to win, but never bragged about it. He taught my sister and me to value hard work and the pursuit of excellence. But he demonstrated equally the lesson of how to lose. Shoulders back, head up, with grace, dignity, and a handshake.

My father...