Your Heroic Heart, Facing Lions & Grizzly Bear
I think a hero is any person really intent on making this a better place for all people. -Maya Angelou Andrew Carnegie was born in Scotland, the second of three children. When he was 13, his family borrowed from a maternal uncle and moved to Allegheny City, now part of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.Growing up in Scotland, Andrew Carnegie attended the Free School in Dunfermline, founded by Adam Rolland of Gask, a philanthropist, judge and co-founder of the Royal Society of Edinburgh. When young Carnegie reached the United States, he stopped attending school and studied people, like his mentor, Thomas A. Scott of the Pennsylvania Railroad Company. After selling his steel company and becoming one of the world’s richest men, Carnegie worked at distributing his wealth. One project remains the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission. As stated in his Deed of Trust, Carnegie wrote, “I have long felt that the heroes and those dependent upon them should be freed from pecuniary cares resulting from their heroism.” Here are two honorees: On February 9, 1940, Joseph R. Arcans faced down five lions at Clyde Beatty’s Circus in Fort Lauderdale, FL. Arcans was an animal trainer. While dressing for a performance, the small man heard a commotion and found five lions attacking a man who’d entered their space. Arcans grabbed a 2×4 and kept beating the lions. Even after his stick broke, Arcans kept chasing the lions until all fled. On October 1, 1971, in Edmonton, Alberta, Malcom R. Aspeslet rescued a co-worker from a huge grizzly. With a small knife, Malcolm climbed atop 800-pound bear and hung on, while his scalp was lacerated, his ears torn off, his arm broken. Nominate a Hero. Myths tell of gods creating constellations for heroes . Some stories say heroes’ eyes become stars to watch over loved ones. ‘Hero’ comes from ancient words meaning demi [half, unfinished, almost]-god and to watch over, to protect. Imagine a world where everyone goes to bed a hero. A “Random Act of Kindness” will do, as in this post’s video [below]. What a world! Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Presenting arts experiences to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. COMMENT. Pen Pals Meet after 56 Years Click Here to View 2 minutes From ABC’s “America Strong” series, here a 7th grader’s kindness to a stranger wound up being incredibly powerful. Through Radiant Tree Books, SucceedandSoar.com, and her Fine Art collections at SandrasArt.Pixels.com, Sandra Gould Ford [a former steelworker] creates and presents art for healing and high achievement, to lift hearts and spirits, awareness and humanity. Shop All Books Thanks !
Your Heroic Heart #1 – Debut
Updated March 30, 2024 The “Heroic Hearts” series is inspired by Succeed and Soar’s August 21, 2021 post. There, Eleanor Roosevelt said, “We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time.” Heroes are the ones who inspire us to be better, to do better, to live better. – Anonymous In 1904, Andrew Carnegie created a Deed of Trust that began,We live in a heroic age. Not seldom are we thrilled by deeds of heroism where men or women are injured or lose their lives in attempting to preserve or rescue their fellows; such the heroes of civilization. … I have long felt that the heroes and those dependent upon them should be freed from pecuniary cares resulting from their heroism, and, as a fund for this purpose, I have transferred to the Commission five million dollars of First Collateral Five Per Cent. Bonds of the United States Steel Corporation. One hundred twenty years later — with a cumulative inflation of over 3,000 percent — Carnegie would have launched the fund with $173,267,977.43. The first honoree was Louis A. Baumann, Jr. who was 17 when Charles Stevick called for help while drowning in an abandoned farm’s deep ravine. The record reads, Baumann immediately dived into the pond, but when he reached Charles, Charles grabbed his leg. Baumann broke free and returned to the bank to regain his breath. He swam back out and dived for Charles, then took him to the surface, but Charles again grabbed Baumann, and both submerged. Again Baumann broke free and returned to the bank. A third time he swam out to Charles, that time managing to get Charles close enough to the bank for the other boys, who formed a chain, to drag both from the water. All survived. On August 9, 2007, Connecticut State Trooper Nicholas P. Leary rescued a woman from a burning building in Danielson, Massachusetts, without either the training or equipment. After crawling into the woman’s burning bedroom, she was rescued as flames breached the apartment’s walls. Leary donated the financial grant that accompanied the Carnegie Medal to The Jimmy Fund of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Brookline, Massachusetts. ‘Hero’ comes from ancient words meaning demi [half, unfinished, almost]-god and to watch over, to protect. This definition means we can all be heroes, often. Imagine a world where everyone performed such a deed daily. Not much is required. A Random Act of Kindness as in the video below will do. What a life! How will you become a hero each day? Succeed and Soar! Sandra Gould Ford Presenting arts experiences to encourage, refresh, enrich creative thinking and inspire. COMMENT. A Random Acts of Kindness Click Here to View [90 seconds] In this ABC News “America Strong” with David Muir that aired February 20, 2024, see how Dollar Store pajamas turned a school bus driver into a hero. This Month, Shop Inspiring Succeed & Soar Posters Sizes from 8”x6.5” to the popular 30” x 23.5” Four Shape Options: Natural, Vertical, Horizontal and Square Printed on acid-free paper with archival inks Includes 1” white border to allow for future framing and mounting View All Posters Thanks for shopping!