Tom Wiswell
Morning Class
11.09.2010
Family Memoir
My dad is named Donald Appert Wiswell. He has led a fascinating and exciting life, and is still going hard. He has lived through times of sadness and elation. In this so called memoir, I will go into greater detail of his life, and you will understand why I look up to him so much.
My dad was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1954. He lived with his two sisters and one brother, along with his mom and dad. In 1960 they moved to Denver, Colorado for three years until they moved to Washington, D.C., where my Dad spent most of his life. A typical day in his childhood would be to go to school, come home and play, do the chores, and maybe watch a little TV.
As he went through his teen years, my dad suffered a lot of loss. His brother, sister, and Dad all died in this time period. Despite these tragedies, he was still able to get spectacular grades, be successful in almost every way, and become student body president. In addition to this, he took care of and supported his mother and sister by working hard at restaurants.
After this, he earned a full ride to Georgetown and Towson Universities. There he earned a Bachelor’s degree in both education and communication. When he got out of college, my dad spent a lot of time as an English teacher and restaurant worker and owner. Throughout this time he developed many hobbies such as playing music (he was in several rock bands), walking, reading, studying, community service, and eating chocolate, and he also lived through major events such as the Cuban Missile Crisis, the JFK assassination, LBJ’s Great Society, Watergate, the .com bubble, and Vietnam. He says these events gave him a fuller understanding of the way the world works, and the challenges in life.
It was also around this time that my dad and mom met. My dad needed a manager at his restaurant, and a friend recommended a bright graduate of Frostburg. This happened to be my mom. Immediately, my dad was taken by her intelligence, humor, and work ethic. She also was very cute with her red hair, which is where I got my beautiful flowing locks. They worked together for eight years, through thick and thin. They quickly became inseparable. On November 1st, 1995, they were married. They moved to Florida that same year.
A year later I was born. We moved to Frederick MD, where I grew up. In that time, my little brother and sister were also born. In 2000, my dad started working for NIH, which he says was his most rewarding job. In 2006 he retired. He says he loves the freedom and the ability to relax. He is great about helping us out. We moved to Rehoboth Beach DE in 2009. We moved here because my dad had been visiting here his whole life, it had been our annual vacation spot, and we always wanted to live here.
So, in conclusion, my Dad has had a thrilling life. Today he says if he could change one thing, he would have bought the Apple Inc. stock 30 years ago for $22 a share and sell it today for a huge profit. Typical dad.
