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!
My Ancestor, by Jack White
Have you ever rode or driven in a car? Chances are you have rode in a car that some piece of it has been helped created by my maternal grandfather, Clint John Fernandez. I have known Clint since I was born. I mainly see him on the weekends when he is home, or sometimes during the week at athletics. I chose Clint, because he is always looking out for me and calling me during the week to check in, seeing how I am doing. He drives an hour and a half twice or sometimes three times a week just to see me compete. He is always asking about my grades and how much water I have been drinking. It is always awesome on the weekends when we hang out and talk about football or fishing. I chose Clint, because even though he is not my biological grandfather, I want him to know how much he means to me.
Clint James Fernandez was born May 8, 1971, in Davenport, Iowa. Davenport is a city on the Mississippi River between northwest Illinois and northeast Iowa. Davenport in the 1970s was a city in the middle of a transition from a post-war era style to a new modern style. When Clint was growing up, his dad was not in the picture of his life. It was mainly Clint, his mom Gale Strohnbehn, his brother John, who is two years older than Clint, Tom who was two years younger than Clint. Clint’s Mom, Gale, took in another kid named Tory. Tory, who is also two years younger than Clint, was taken in by his mom, and all the kids considered him as one with them. During Clint’s free time he would help out the local farmers or play a game with his brothers called “Prophet Ball.“ Clint’s family had many memories growing up. Clint’s favorite memory is when all of his brothers were like 13, 11, and 10, and Clint’s mom, Gerda, dressed all the boys in matching outfits and no one could tell the difference between him and his brothers.
Clint went to college at Morrison Institute of Technology (MIT), in Morrison, Illinois which is a middle sized town and is the capital of Whiteside County. Clint attended college from 1989 to 1991. Clint graduated from Morrison Institute of Technology with an Associate in Applied Science and Design and Drafting. My maternal grandfather, Clint, was never married, and never had any kids of his own. Even though Clint never had any children of his own, he came into my mom, Kelsey, life at the age of 15, my aunt, Kiley, was 12. When my Aunt Kiley was playing basketball for the University of Milwaukee, Clint would attend all the games he could, which is somewhere around 35 games all over the country. My Mom and Clint would stop at a book store on these trips and on the weekends to get books. This is both one of their favorite memories. This shows that anyone can be family and still make good memories even if you are not blood-related. Clint currently lives in a condo in Rockford, which is a city northwest of Chicago during the week. During the weekends he lives with my Grandma Sandy, who many people know as Sandra Johnson. When Clint is in Prophetstown with my grandmother, I mainly spend the most time with him. Thankfully Clint is still alive, and I hope to make many more memories with him in the time we have left together.
One accomplishment Clint has achieved is making the 2nd team all-conference football player in 1988. Roughly only 12% of all high school athletes can say they were an all-conference athlete. Another accomplishment that Clint has is graduating college. Roughly 60% of all kids that originally enroll in colleges after high school end up making it all the way through. One fun fact about Clint is that during one of my Aunt Kiley’s basketball games Clint got into an elevator to head to another gym, when he entered the elevator he saw 10 time all-star, Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo Anthony scored 28,289 points in his 19 season playing career, and also three Gold Medals for team U.S.A in his career. Carmelo Anthony is set to enter the NBA Hall of Fame in 2025.
In conclusion I feel that Clint John Fernandez is a great person. When I am all grown up, and finish my schooling I hope I have developed some of the same qualities as Clint. Clint has shown that even though your life could be a messed up train-wreck, if you work hard and always show kindness you will make it through to the promise land. Clint has always had a smile on his face and is always willing to help me. That is why i chose Clint as my ancestor for my ancestor project.
Jack White, Miss Baldwin’s Language Arts class
