by Catherine Peery

Created on: July 21, 2009

Kenneth Don Peery: a man of determination, a man of wisdom, one of the only men I know with genuine kindness in his heart who expects nothing in return. Driving down I-10 I would always see homeless guys with different stories of how and why they became beggars for a living; any story from mental illnesses to tragedies that caused them to lose everything. As I felt sorry for the beggars, I saw Kenneth give a five dollar bill to the old man carrying the common cardboard sign and frown lines. Mr. Kenneth smiled and nodded when the homeless man said, "God bless you". I know Kenneth knew he didn't need the blessing, though, because he had a wonderful family, but accepted the blessing with gratitude. From that day forward I looked at kindness and selflessness from a whole different perspective. Kenneth had eight kids at home he could barely support as a result of being forced to retire from Lubrizol because he was getting too old to keep up. Even after all this, his spirits remained high; he still found sympathy in his heart for others that struggled with this game of life and gave everything he could to others even if he didn't have much for himself. Finding work again was hard for someone who was almost sixty, but Kenneth had a major in organic chemistry and a minor in physics so finding work at a different plant wasn't difficult. He went through college living out of his van because he had no money except for the money he saved up for college. Kenneth had a passion for learning and had determination like none other. He put everything he had into studying and succeeded. This man, Kenneth Don Peery, is my father. He has taught me so much in my seventeen years. My father has made the biggest impact on my life and is an extremely important person to me. No matter what curve ball is thrown at him his top priorities are education and making sure his family is happy. I consider myself to be an open minded person because of him; he made me realize that limiting oneself is the wrong way to go about thinking and expanding one's knowledge. My father has taught me that being grateful for every little thing is important to happiness; he has taught me that money doesn't mean everything no matter how much society makes it out to be that way, and most of all he has taught me to be passionate about all that I do. "Never stop learning" he says; never stop that want for learning from growing because it will only get stronger. My father is sixty-four years old, he absorbs any and all information he can retain, but he insists that he still knows nothing, not compared to what is out there. The possibilities of what we can do are endless. Kenneth Don Peery: a man of determination, a man of wisdom, one of the only men I know with genuine kindness in his heart who expects nothing in return, is my influential father.

Learn more about this author, Catherine Peery.
Click here to send this author comments or questions.