Brooks Sabbatical Trip - The story that started it all....

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BROOKS ENDOWMENT FOR SABBATICAL LEAVE







Grant Proposal:



Travel to the Southern Coast of England



for cultural, historical and personal research







One of the many things that I value about my school, Greensboro Day School, is the opportunity to be involved in the greater picture- the strategic vision of our institution. To be an integral part in shaping something about which I am so passionate has immeasurable value. Over the years, I have written many blogs for a variety of outlets that lend themselves to telling our GDS story. I am frequently so inspired by the engaging, intentional teaching and unique experiences that occur within our walls, I’m driven to write about them and share with the greater community. Telling Our Story is part of our strategic plan. Sharing our joined GDS stories and aligning them with the school’s visionary, strategic plan is a convergence that both excites and interests me.



The personal story I hope to uncover is a tale of a naively courageous man, a series of strong women, and two cultures that became intriguingly and unexpectedly interconnected over the course of World War II and after. This story begins with my grandfather, who unbeknownst to us for 64 years, was involved in a significant military exercise on April 28, 1944. Sifting through an old box of memorabilia belonging to my deceased grandfather, I uncovered two journals from his time in the Navy. As I was visually devouring the first journal, I noticed that one page had been removed – April 28, 1944. Amongst other things, the date of the page in question caught my attention, as April 28^th is also my birthday. Upon further investigation, I uncovered the historical significance of that date. A covert practice mission (Exercise Tiger) had taken place on that day at Slapton Sands, England. Slapton Sands was chosen because of its resemblance to the beach at Normandy. The American landing ships and the men that were entering the bay were unaware of this drill and live ammunition was fired. At the same time, German boats detected the activity of a large, moving fleet and torpedoed many American LST vessels. The results were sunken ships and nearly 1000 casualties. The details of this tragedy were sealed for many years. Recently, there have been a few books published on Exercise Tiger. There is a memorial at Slapton Sands for those who served and perished on April 28, 1944. My grandfather was there; and he survived, although not without residual effects. Forty years after his tour in England when he and my grandmother had built a life together, complete with five children, my grandfather received a letter in the mail. The letter was from a woman stating that her mother had been a nurse in the British Navy in Devon, England during his tour of duty, and she believed that my grandfather was her father. The life choices he made during his time in England, and after, created a woven story of two cultures and redefined for us what ‘family’ means.



I am applying for the Brooks Sabbatical with a long-rooted desire to discover my own story by retracing the path of my grandfather’s 1944 tour of duty, exploring an almost forgotten piece of world history, and spending time with my English-born aunt to learn her (and her mother’s) perspective and heritage. This incredible opportunity will take me, my husband, our two daughters, and my father to the southern coast of England for 10 days. We will rent a cottage in the countryside town of Devon near to where my aunt was born and raised, and currently resides. My aunt and her husband will be our guides as we retrace my grandfather’s footsteps. I will visit the historic and picturesque port towns of Torbay, Falmouth, Cornwall, Plymouth and Devon, where my grandfather was stationed. I will visit the Exercise Tiger memorial site at Slapton Sands that was created by a local man, Ken Small, who recovered a Sherman Tank just off the coast in the 1970s and had it restored. Intrigued by the discovery of this tank and other American military paraphernalia, Ken and his son devoted much of their lives researching this event and documenting the personal stories of those that had their life impacted by Exercise Tiger. Our stay in England will conclude with a visit to the D-Day Museum in Portsmouth, England, where the exhibit “Keeping Our Stories Alive” is on display.



Throughout this story – my grandfather’s story and, subsequently, my story – are the intertwined topics and themes of character, the strength of the human spirit, ethical dilemmas, historical footprints, and more. There is great power and comfort in knowing your story and in sharing it with others. Through revealing my life story, I will identify my core values. I hope to open the eyes and hearts of others as I share my story with them. The sharing of personal journeys and stories allows people to embrace what makes them unique, in the way only human interest stories can. Sharing my story will not only broaden perspectives, but opens the possibility of passing on valuable lessons to others.

As an educator, I am invested in the stories of others. I work towards developing, in the youngest of our students, reverence for the contributions of those who came before them, a respect for the uniqueness of others, the aspirations of who they wish to be and what imprints they wish to leave.



Traveling to the southern shores of England will be food for my soul and will allow me to help my family (and my father) fill in the missing pieces of our story. I have begun to document this leg of my family tree in novel form, in the hopes of future publication. My experiences will add richness and depth to my classroom teaching and will also have a rippling effect on future professional endeavors.

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Comments

[Lorraine]

Opening blog
You really set the scene Kelly ! I'm exited to hear about how being on the ground where these events took place shifts and changes your inner landscape. Be ready and try not to resist Sending love