T. Paxton Sherwood

My grandfather overcame great personal tragedy including the loss of his mother and family farm when his father murdered her during a divorce, while he was a college senior. He worked three jobs to graduate Penn State and later lived in the YMCA because his father was in jail. Eventually he volunteered for the Air Corps, piloted B-17s survived 28 missions and a shoot-down which resulted in 13 months in German POW camp and contracting TB, before liberation by the Russians and eventual repatriation. He went on to teach in a city school and eventually retired. He got regular check-ups, cooked most of his own food and generally tried to take good care of himself. He quit smoking after the war and rarely if ever had a drink. Never had any major problems and eventually passed due to complications from pneumonia while in a dementia ward. Grandpa's senior quote was about being "the master of your soul" and he lived this to the end, always dressed like an officer and presentable with his head held high. He never swore and always tried to do the right thing. I was blessed to have known him for 28 years and my love of gardening lawn equipment and Cadillacs comes from him. He cared for my grandmother when arthritis impaired her and was always escorting her in her wheelchair. Doing the right thing and "mastering your own destiny" no matter what life throws at you -- this I learned from him.