Students conducted interviews with family members, and some were able to gather additional resources and pictures to help tell their story. While there were many great stories written, not all will be published.
This project was a collaborative effort between students’ history classes with Mrs. Kruthoff & Mr. Armstrong, English class with Ms. Baldwin, and their families. It was inspired by the original project that long-time English teacher, Mrs. Wiersema, made a tradition in her 8th grade class.
Students enjoyed getting to know more about their families, and many were surprised to learn how interesting their families were. We hope you all will enjoy their stories, too!
James William Melton, by Emme Johnston
Are you a fan of wood pellet smoked brisket? Well, my heroic Papa Jim can whip you up some in just a seven hour wait. Papa Jim’s full name is James William Melton. He is my moms step dad, so he is my maternal step grandpa. I picked him as the center of my project because he has been in my life since day one, and I know he has made many sacrifices, not just for me but for our country. He is a huge inspiration for me because he is a true hero!
He was born on December 26, 1951. He was born in Geneseo IL. His mom was Hellen Melton and his dad was James C. He has 4 siblings, 3 sisters and one brother. Their names are Ann, Lisa, Amber, and Scott. He went to school in Erie with all 4 siblings. He would walk to school and he went to elementary school in the old elementary. He lived over by the Erie cemetery. His favorite memory from elementary school was, when he was five, he would walk to school, and he didn’t know school was called off because of snow and weather. So he walked to school in freezing weather, he went to open the door, but there was no one there. He bawled his eyes out and went home. When he got home, there were icicles on his face from crying in the cold.
In his adult life, he got married, but then divorced. He then remarried my grandma, Ruth Melton. He has four children, two biological and two steps. His biological children are Leslie Miner and Jamie Melton. His step children are Kelly Johnston and Tracy Winkler. He never went to college although he had many jobs and heroic eras. Some of his jobs were Air Force veteran, assistant sheriff in the Whiteside County Courthouse, firefighter, and response and relief effort. He served in Vietnam in the Airforce loading bombs, missiles, and guns. He mentioned that when Vietnam veterans came home, in the airport there were protesters that would spit on, trash talk, and disrespect the Vietnam veterans. He loved to volunteer because he says that volunteering can not only help out people in need, but it can also help you. What he means by that is it makes you feel better and it makes you a better person. He also states that when you volunteer, you leave a good legacy behind you and satisfy yourself. He lives in Erie and still works at the Whiteside County Courthouse today.
Papa Jim has many achievements and great heroic journeys in his life. His top two accomplishments are, he is a Vietnam veteran and saved and protected many lives, and he went on a deployment in Louisville and won an award for protecting people from hurricanes. Some fun facts about him are, he loves to hunt, fish, and he loves to smoke meat on his pellet grill.
If I had to describe his life in one word, it would be “heroic”. I would say this because he took many risks and hard journeys just to be a hero for his family and our country. One thing that he did that I will always remember is that he went to war and had a family at 19. His words were, “The pure terror I had, when I went to war, not knowing anyone, going to a whole new place,” this stands out to me because no matter how much I complain, that is nothing compared to what he had to go through. At first before knowing all this background knowledge, I knew my Papa Jim as my big and goofy grandpa that loved to smoke brisket on his pellet grill, but now I know all he has done, I am so thankful and grateful and wont take his love for granted.
Emmerson Johnston, Miss Baldwin’s Language Arts class
