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 Liam Copeland
Have you ever met someone who only went to the 6th grade for their entire educational life and became a Chemist? Well my paternal Great Grandfather Robert Ralph Royale Copeland did. Isn’t that amazing! My Great Grandpa Robert, which I will call Grandpa Ralph from now, was my Paternal Grandfather. I picked him because he was so strong and brave when he went through so much. I also picked him because I didn’t know that much about him, and wanted to learn more.
Grandpa Ralph was born August 6, 1918. Nobody knows where he was born, he didn’t really like to talk about his childhood very much. He was abandoned as a child and another family took him in, but it wasn’t adoption. You couldn’t really adopt back then, so they just treated him like another son. He had two brothers, John and Bill, and they got along very well. My papa John was named after him. He grew up in Davenport Iowa, but he didn’t like to talk about his childhood very much. His brothers were the ones that really raised him. He loved his brothers even with their adopted relationship.
Grandpa Ralph was married to Andell Best, now Andell Copeland, My Great Grandmother. They were married for 44 years. This was Grandpa Ralph’s first and only marriage but Andell’s second. They had two children together John Copeland and Robert Copeland. Only my papa John is still alive, Great Uncle Bob lived in Florida and passed away a couple years ago. Grandpa Ralph didn’t go to college or much of any school. He only had a sixth grade education. The first job he had was a carnival worker. He worked there throughout his teens. He also worked in the CCC (civilian conservation corps) where he and other unemployed young men worked during the Great Depression. After that Grandpa got drafted into WWII where he fought in the Pacific theater. When he got home he worked at Rolston’s Purina for 33 years. His highest position was working in the Chemistry lab there. My grandpa and uncle now work at Ralston, but Grandpa just does volunteer work since he is retired. Grandpa Ralph passed away in his house from a stroke. He died a couple days before my grandpa’s wedding and before he could meet his first grandson. He is now buried in Davenport Memorial Cemetery.
Grandpa’s biggest accomplishment was getting a higher Ranking in WWII. He didn’t like to talk about his time in the war at all, but he still fought. His favorite accomplishment and the one he was most proud of was learning how to become a chemist by only reading the manuals and only having a sixth grade education. Some fun facts I learned about my Great Grandpa Ralph are that he used to work for a carnival. He also grew up during the Great Depression and was also in the CCC (civilian conservation corps). Three generations have been named after him. My Great Uncle, my uncle, and my brother. It is my brother’s middle name.
I never got to meet my Great Grandfather but I know I would have loved him very much. If I had to describe Grandpa Ralph in one word it would be strong because he went through so much and was still such a great person. He went through being abandoned, living through the great depression, and going through the war, and still raised two great children and touched the lives of many. One thing I will always remember about Grandpa Ralph is how dedicated he was. He worked in the chemistry lab at Ralston’s and became educated by only reading the manuals. He didn’t go to college or high school and only had a sixth grade education. After writing this paper I will always remember that even in hard times, you can still find the strength to push through, just like Grandpa Ralph always did.
Liam Copeland, Miss Baldwin’s Language Arts class
