Eva Longoria. I read about Eva Longoria this week and was very impressed. I knew her as an actress and Tony Parker’s former wife. I did not know her as a person. She is a very substantial person.
Since she achieved fame and fortune, she has used her resources to help people in the right way.
She is a spokesperson for Padres Contra El Cancer, providing support for Latino children with cancer. She has a special needs sister and is sensitive to special needs issues. She formed Eva’s Heroes, an after-school program for special needs children.
She has a bachelor’s degree in Kinesiology. She believed she needed more education. She earned her master’s degree in Chicano Studies from Cal State Northridge. Her thesis was on the value of Latinas in STEM careers. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics. She was not pushing Latinas in the entertainment industry or social media, but rather in areas of importance to industrial development.
She developed a foundation with several missions. She awards scholarships, supports research and offers micro-grants to start-up entrepreneurs.
Longoria Foundation. Her foundation’s research has identified several areas in need of Latino representation. I was particularly impressed by a quote from the web page for her foundation. “Instead of focusing on what does not work, we focus on what works, such as exposures to Latino teachers and counselors, high quality math instruction from a young age, parent engagement and access to financial aid.” She was not blaming others but seeking ways for Latinos to make gains by helping them take responsibility for their lives.
She is outspoken in her support for America while appreciating her Latino heritage. As I said, I was very impressed with her.
D-Day. Jeny’s birthday is 6/7/42. The math makes the date easy to remember. The day before is always the memorial of D-Day celebrating the Allied invasion of Europe on beaches in France in 1944. Few people take notice of the day. One restaurant experience in my youth causes me to always pause and remember D-Day each year.
In 1962, eighteen years after D-Day, a very big, very strong carpenter and his wife took four basketball players to supper. We worked at the lumberyard where he got supplies. He and his wife had no children and they befriended us.
While we were eating, I asked him if he served in THE war. In those days there was only one war, WWII. He responded “yes.” He said he was at D-Day on Normandy Beach. He then began to cry and had to excuse himself from the table.
His wife said it was the first time she had ever heard him mention D-Day. He went eighteen years without talking about the horror of that day and when he did, it brought him to tears.
I do not think I even partially understood what he was going through until I saw the movie Saving Private Ryan. I am sure I will never fully understand what it was like to survive that horror.
Historians tell us one reason to study history is to imagine how thing might be if they had turned out differently. Imagine what the world would be if Hitler had won. We owe a lot to those who served in THE war.
Good News
First Responders
Local Fire Department Goes Above and Beyond, Helps Family Install Tree Swing (sunnyskyz.com)
Police Officer Rescues Kidnapped Woman Who Mouthed ‘Help Me’ During Traffic Stop (sunnyskyz.com)
Hero Police Officers Rescue Unresponsive Toddler From Tragic Pool Incident (sunnyskyz.com)
Sunday is Father’s Day. Happy Father’s Day to all the dads. I miss mine.
Peace
Jerry
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