Who were your childhood heroes - or heroines - while you were growing up? Are they still heros to you? Seems like we had a lot more good heroes to pick from in my younger days!! Who are your heroes now?

-- Polly (tigger@moultrie.com), January 13, 2001

Answers

Dh - Roy Rogers, Gene Autry, Hopalong Cassidy. Harry S. Truman. His dad and stepdad. His dad was not a good husband, but put out a lot of effort to spend time and do things with his sons, also had a good work ethic. His stepdad because he was in general an admirable person, plus for the effort he put out to properly raise a son who was not his own.

Myself - I had a lot of childhood heroes! My favorite shows were westerns, and I read a lot, so there were many heroes, including animal heroes like Rin Tin Tin and Lassie. As I grew up I found myself rejecting any who had a disreputable personal life - we all make mistakes, especially when young, but the ones who lived a life of constant immorality became unacceptable to me. Errol Flynn comes to mind there. Some that have remained heroes are Charlton Heston and Roy Rogers. Other heroes are my dad (never preached at me, but taught me to live a moral, Godly life by his daily example) and of course my grandparents whom I've mentioned in other posts. Their faith, work ethics, morals, and love and kindness to others.) I also always looked up to those in the armed forces and law enforcement, despite their problems these people still put their lives on the line for us.

I think kids today have very few people to look to as heroes, and the media seems to put down those who IMHO are real heroes and idolize the scum of the earth. It certainly makes it harder for kids nowdays. But there are still heroes out there if you're willing to look for them! (Mother Teresa, for example)

-- Lenette (kigervixen@webtv.net), January 13, 2001.

Billy Graham still is ronda

-- ronda (thejohnsons@localaccess.com), January 13, 2001.

My Grandparents. I learned so much from them and i saw how hard they worked. I remember how Granny so proudly walked us through their first indoor bathroom. I swear my Grandparents had the cleanest outhouse in the world. It was painted white and had a shelf with a mirror. I used to love to play with Granny's perfume. She said if i put on too much i would smell like an ol' skunk. She said what she felt and i never saw her let things get to her.

I think they are the reason i am who i am today. I want to be that for my Grandchildren. I lost my Grandmother last year at the age of 93. I tried to tell her what she meant to me, i hope she know's.

-- Shau Marie (shau@centurytel.net), January 13, 2001.

When I was growing up my Dad was a truck driver and I alwats wanted to one too. At recess me and my guy friends would pretend to drive trucks all along the snow banks. Only one of us ever became a truck driver. It wasn't me. In summer my hero's were cowboys and cowgirls. I know sounds silly, I know but still it was a girls dream!!

-- michelle (tsjheath@ainop.com), January 13, 2001.

Kwai Chang Cain on the old Kung Fu show. (Well, I was in my late teens...not exactly childhood. I think I like Master Po better now that I am older though!) I loved the show, even though it was so hokey, and I later found out that Bruce Lee got enscrewed out of the role after it was his idea in the first place. But a teevee show about good character. I always wanted to be like the female version of Cain...

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), January 13, 2001.

Hero's wow so many, Matt Dillon, Captain James T. Kirk, Louis L'Amour, Henry Kravis, Jerry Kolberg, Ross F. Johnson, James Garner. Way back Green Lantern.

My second grade teacher Mrs. Wilkens. (If not for her I may well have dropped out of school)

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), January 13, 2001.

John Wayne, where the good guys always win, kiss their horses and ride off into the sunset!

-- Linda (hesscat@cot.net), January 13, 2001.

When I was young I read Little Women so many times I thought they were real, I wanted to be like Meg and Jo mostly, I wanted that kind of close family that lived through hardships happily, I was almost jealous of the parents that they had.

-- Melissa (cmnorris@1st.net), January 13, 2001.

My mom.

-- Amy (acook@in4web.com), January 13, 2001.

O.K. yes, I grew up watching a LOT of T.V. and now can't stand it, but they were Mighty Mouse, Lassie, The Lone Ranger and Tonto. My Aunt and Uncle were my best role models for a good marriage, cause I certainly didn't see it at home! My dh is my present hero!

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), January 13, 2001.

Armstrong,Shepard,Glenn, Goddard, Einstein, George Washington Carver,Heinlin,Underdog, Mr. Spock and Mr. Scott, and McGiver were the "heroes " of my youth. I still remember trying the "vulcan nerve pinch" on a bully. That reeeaalllyy hurt. Should have waited to confront him till McGyver came out and I could have wired his baloney sandwich to a car battery or something. :)

-- Jay Blair in N. AL (jayblair678@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001.

Pippi Longstockings!! (I probably butchered the spelling.) Remember her? She was a girl who lived alone in a house full of animals! Her horse lived in the house! She wore her hair in two braids, and they stuck out at weird angles. I thought she was wonderful. I wanted to grow up and live exactly like she did! (I'm almost there.) I've been thinking about her a lot lately!

-- Cathy in NY (hrnofplnty@yahoo.com), January 13, 2001.

Marion Gibbons - He owned the country store where we bought groceries when I was wee little, and an old family friend living in the "home base" county of our family. It was a real old fashioned, honest-to- God general mercantile with everything from groceries to sandwiches made fresh to printed hankies (Mom always knew what she was getting for Christmas!). Even had a few pairs of old button up "Laura Ingalls" shoes that just never sold before they went out of style (I was born in 1968, so they must have been there for ages!). You could search his shelves for years and always find something "new" (old as dirt, probably!) every time. He was the epitome of the old country gentleman (Hoot and I have conversed about this topic) and if I wore one of those bracelets, it would have WWMD on it, because any time I have a moral problem, I ask myself what would I do if he were watching. (He is lately passed on, so I guess I'd better behave now!).

We were seriously dirt poor, and when we would get groceries, he would always (and I mean ALWAYS) put in a bag of M&Ms for each of us kids! We thought they were like gold, and just as rare. He always knew exactly how we liked our sandwiches (cheese with mustard for me!) and never messed up an order. It had an old potbellied stove, complete with ancient checker players and everything. I do truly miss that man. Every Christmas until he got to be too ill to care for himself, just a few years ago, my Mom would send us all the bags of M&Ms that he would giver her to give to us, if we weren't there for the holidays to receive them at the Lowndes church Christmas pagent.

His store was sold years ago, after I was a teen, but had been "taken away" from him before that by intrusive gvt. rules (they closed down his sandwich making after discovering that he didn't have innumberable sinks, counters, and whatnot - not that anyone had ever gotten sick, not once) and it just got too be too much trouble to keep up with all of the rules and regs. Eventually, he just got too old, and probably too disillusioned. And the "town" was (and is) slowly dissolving as more people die and are not replaced by newcomers, so business was nearly non-existent. Eventually, the "new" store burned down (old electrical wiring and new insurance, no doubt), and now there's nothing there. It hurts when I go by, like an open wound. Sorry to be a drag, but its hard to think of him without thinking of all that came after.

On a lighter note, I, too, wanted to be a female Caine, but didn't know about the old show - a new generation hooked on a new show with old roots, I guess (you did know that there was a new show featuring Caine, right? Can't remember the name, but it was basically a Kung Fu II, although I didn't know it at the time.) Still trying to live up to that standard (I talk waaayy too much to be an exact replica - or hadn't you noticed!) But still, a good role model, especially when you consider the medium.

-- Soni (thomkilroy@hotmail.com), January 13, 2001.

The family from Little House on the Praire,all of them. I always dreamed have having a dad and sisters but most of all a farm. Now...a real hero,maybe my husband but in the true sense of the word...no one.

-- renee oneill{md.} (oneillsr@home.com), January 13, 2001.

For me, it is the men and women of the Old Testament of the Bible. They show repeatedly that no matter how dysfunctional and treacherous our families, God is still with us. No matter how badly we screw up, he can make things better when we turn to Him. I admire the Old Testament prophets. Their stories show that no matter how weird people think we are or how much they hate us, God still loves us and talks to us. What more do we need?

My day to day heroine is and always has been Ma Kettel. No matter how many kids there are to feed, the cow went dry and the roof fell in there's no sense in getting worked up over it, just gotta do something about it, that's all.

-- Laura (gsend@hotmail.com), January 14, 2001.

John Wayne, you always knew that all was going to work out when John Wayne and the calvary arrived. He always did well in WWII and Vietnam.

-- Del (dgrinolds@gvtel.com), January 14, 2001.

I wasn't as bright as some of you, I liked wonder woman.

-- hillbilly (internethillbilly@hotmail.com), January 14, 2001.

Besides my mom, like I said earlier, I have to admire Raggedy Ann. She was brave, wise, and kind!

-- Amy (acook@in4web.com), January 14, 2001.

The main character in A Latern in Her Hand and my neighbor

-- Cindy (atilrthehony_1@yahoo.com), January 14, 2001.

Hey, Cindy, I really admired Abbie Deal too -- loved that book. And I got it from Junior Scholastic -- boy, I LOVED getting the book lists, marking the selections, counting my money, seeing which ones my sibs wanted too, making deals, sometimes trying to get just a little bit more money from mom, then waiting anxiously for them all to come in.

Another book heroine for me was the title character in a book called "Understood Betsy" (yes, another Jr Schol selection!). I just found an old copy of it in a used bookstore. My paperback fell apart years ago, so I bought this hardcover.

Roy Rogers was a BIG hero of mine (and tons of other kids in town). Although that show is to blame for my confusion about the West -- I thought everyone still rode around on horses unless they were old, then they had jeeps like Nelly Belle! My sister was convinced that a distant relative WAS Roy (I was confused for a short period too, we were very young, and he DID look like Roy). This relative was also one of the "Flying Tigers" in WWII, so he was often mentioned with some respect and a touch of awe by the adults -- we were pretty sure he was someone very important!

Then there were the Lone Ranger and Tonto. The respect and friendship between them was an early lesson in race relations for me. They didn't often have the Indians as the "bad guys", and there were episodes where Tonto, obviously intelligent and honorable, suffered prejudice and verbal & physical abuse solely for his appearance and race. I got the message about how despicable such behavior was! Lucky me, I always got to be Tonto in games with my brother, the Lone Ranger. Scout was a much cooler-looking horse (IMO, of course) than Silver!

My grandparents, especially the set that lived right next door, were a great influence on me. And my parents sure taught me a lot about honesty and standing up for what's fair and right.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 14, 2001.

My heros have always been cowboys, oh wait thats a song.Hero # 1 roy rogers, always did what was right and more importantly had the courage to adopt kids of diferent races when it wasnt cool, know there is a place in heaven for him.# 2 My moms friend olga, she had cancer but see never let it slow her down, she treated me like a adult and took me hiking and she sang off key and loud at church .She is gone know but every time i see forget me nots [ she showed me them when we went hiking]I think of her,She was one brave lady.#3 John wayne, had the courage to say what he felt.

-- kathy h (ckhart55@earthlink.net), January 14, 2001.

Fictional- John Wayne because he usually stood for what is right and Darth Vader because he gave everything up to save his son. Real- Flossie Fay Calloway because she was honest and raised her family by herself and never whined or patted herself on the back, just did it, Aunt Mary because she loved me for me. My children for the same reason and they are my hope in this world. To a different degree my wife because I am hard to deal with and she gives me a chance.

-- Tom (Calfarm@msn.com), January 15, 2001.

Drat -- Joy got there again before me! In addition to Roy Rodgers and Tonto/Jay Silverheels, I'd also like to add in 'Beautiful Joe', a mongrel dog who was the hero of a book of the same title (autobiographical -- written in 1894), and Tarzan. Later on, add in Mr. Spock (not to be confused with Dr. Spock), and Euell Gibbons. Then Rachel Carson, John Muir, and Ansel Adams. Michaelangelo.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), January 15, 2001.

My grandfather, John Wayne and Bobby Kennedy.

-- Linda (wklkmorgan@ifriendly.com), January 15, 2001.

After thinking it over I guess my all time favorite hero's is the Sacketts Family as written by Louis L'amour. Tom Selleck & Sam Elliot portrayed them well on the movie.

I always wished I had a family that stuck together like the Sacketts.

-- Kenneth in N.C. (wizardsplace13@hotmail.com), January 15, 2001.

Soni, the original Kung Fu show was cool b/c it took place in the Old West. So not only did you get the perspective of a monk trying to make his way in the secular world, but also a foreign-born person of another race (well, you had to use your imagination, even with the make-up!) in America during some pretty racist times. Peace and justice issues in every program. Then throw in a bunch of horses, blacksmiths, women in long dresses, and it's almost a homesteading show! And of course, the beauty and grace of body and mind moving together in Kung Fu...

-- sheepish (rborgo@gte.net), January 15, 2001.

When I was 3 I announced to the family that I was going to marry my hero Mighty Mouse. My other hero was and still is my dad.

-- debra in ks (solid-dkn@msn.com), January 15, 2001.

Yes, I remember Pippi Longstockings, quite the character wasn't she!! I used to dream of living like Laura Ingalls. I really like Ma Kettle but I just don't think I could've put up with the lazy Pa! When I was young it never dawned on me he didn't work, now as an adult my dh and I have bought 6 of the videos and he didn't work anywhere, town the homestead nothing! Just don't think I could've put up with that.

-- Carol in Tx (cwaldrop@peoplescom.net), January 15, 2001.

I'd like to add to my earlier post. Walt Kelly.

-- Julie Froelich (firefly1@nnex.net), January 15, 2001.

Yeah, I forgot about NOW. Definitely Walt Kelly, even if he has gone to the Great Swamp in the Sky. And Ralph Nader.

-- Joy Froelich (dragnfly@chorus.net), January 15, 2001.

Billie Jean King. Emily Dickinson. Helen Reddy. Harriet the Spy and Judy Blume. Laura Ingalls Wilder. My parents and their friends. One of my big brothers who let me play basketball with him, taught me wrestling moves and karate.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 15, 2001.

Trixie Belden. My sister and I got Trixie Belden mysteries for Christmas one year. We read them until they fell apart.

-- Linda Al-Sangar (alsangal@brentwood-tn.org), January 16, 2001.

Yeah, Trixie was great. I had forgotten her. I remember getting her books for a birthday.

-- Anne (HT@HM.com), January 16, 2001.

Walt Kelley was one of my faves, too.

-- sheepish (WA) (rborgo@gte.net), January 17, 2001.

Now I would say my heroes are the men and women of the Bible who served God faithfully no matter what. But as a child, my heroes were the likes of the Swiss Family Robinson, Anthony Wayne (one of the American generals in the Revolution), and Clara Barton. Of course, I knew them and many others only through the books I read, and since, when I was very young, we didn't have access to a public library, most of my reading material had to be purchased by my mother on a very tight budget. So maybe in reality my mother ought to be at the head of my childhood heroes list. She'd appreciate that, I think, since I fought with her all through my growing up -- I appreciate her much more now that I'm grown than I did then.

-- Kathleen Sanderson (stonycft@worldpath.net), January 18, 2001.

Batman, Sky King (he had a neice called Penny), Lloyd Bridges because of "Sea Hunt", Palladin on "Have Gun, Will Travel", Nick Adams as Johnny Yuma, the Rebel and on "Wanted: Dead or Alive", Gil Favor on "Rawhide"

-- Danny (clay007@bellsouth.net), April 18, 2002.

You know what is strange? I never had a "hero" per say. There was never anyone I wanted to be when I grew up. There were people I had admired but for as long as I can remember I took what I could from individuals (what I admired) and just sorta discarded the rest. If I had to pick someone now....jeez. Maybe my mother and Amy Dycyzn (founder of the tightwad gazette) and anyone who manages to live off the grid. :0)

-- Najia (najia274@yahoo.com), April 18, 2002.

Annie Oakley - I wanted to be just like her. I also admired Nancy Drew, Cherry Ames, Trixie Beldon & others like them.

-- Bonnie (stichart@plix.com), April 19, 2002.