William Gladden Foundation

Welcome to the William Gladden Foundation library of educational materials about He Rose and She Rose. These publications are FREE to read on-line or download to hardcopy and reproduce.

Boys and girls need heroes, real people who serve as role models worthy of their respect and admiration. Heroes are living examples of the human spirit, the desire to do and be our very best. They are not defined by color, gender or station in life. Rather, heroes are ordinary people who overcome extraordinary circumstances and - through their struggles - set positive examples for us all.

Middle school and at-risk youth will profit from reading these biographies of people who experienced childhood difficulties and grew past them. Perhaps they will be "inspired" by what they learn and realize that they, too, can conquer life's problems - no matter how bleak the future may seem.

Each biography includes a vocabulary section and ten thought-provoking review questions.

And Justice For All: The Story Of Cesar Chavez, by Jeff Biggers, 4,759 words, 18 pages. At the age of 10, Cesar Chavez's family lost their farm in the "Great Depression." They became migrant workers who traveled throughout California picking fruits and vegetables and living from hand-to-mouth. Cesar was called a "dumb Chicano" by teachers and his fellows students. He quit school and drafted into the Navy during World War II. Upon leaving the military, Cesar returned to the hard life of the migrant worker. Searching for meaning in his life, he realized the importance of education. Cesar studied every night after working in the fields, reading everything he could about economics, history and politics. He then formed the National Farm Workers Association and began striking for fair wages, housing and benefits for migrant workers. Many Mexican-Americans consider Cesar Chavez a great hero who gave them political power and a chance at the "American dream." Through education, hard work and determination, Cesar Chavez was able to overcome the obstacles of his youth and lead in the struggle of justice for all.

From The Jailhouse To The White House, by Warren A. Rhodes, Ph.D., 3,248 words, 10 pages. Today, Dr. Rhodes is Dean, School of Psychology, Morgan State University, but his troubled youth belies his adult outcome. A former gang member, thief, fire setter and drug addict, the young Warren failed several grades, dropped out of school, shot a friend in the chest and was committed to a juvenile reformatory and sentenced to jail. Feeling guilty for nearly killing his brother in a gang fight, Warren decided he had to change his life. This riveting autobiography details how the author committed himself to overcoming his past problems and, after years of struggle, earned his degrees and President Jimmy Carter's wife asked him to speak about his life at the White House.

Satchmo: The Story Of Louis Armstrong, by Jeff Biggers, 4,977 words, 18 pages. Louis Armstrong was America's ambassador of jazz. His broad smile, distinctive voice and mellow coronet sounds captured a nation before, during and after World War II. He played his music all over America and Europe, bridging the racial barriers of his time. Even today, his style influences modern jazz and other musical forms. The casual observer might think that his life, like his music, was upbeat, but this is far from true. The young Louis grew up on the streets of New Orleans. He was raised by a single-mother and dropped out of school at an early age to help support the family. At the age of 12, the juvenile court sentenced him to The Colored Waifs' Home for Boys because he discharged a firearm in public. It was at the Home that the young Louis straightened out his life, so he would be allowed to play the cornet in the school's brass band. From troubled child to internationally renowned musician, Louis "Satchmo" Armstrong's life is an inspiration to those who believe a troubled start in life has to lead to a bad ending.

Sitting On The Gatepost: The Story Of Zora Neale Hurston, by Jeff Biggers, 4,771 words, 19 pages. In the 1890s, the people of the United States were still trying to understand the importance of the Civil War. Although African-Americans were now full citizens, racial barriers and discrimination remained a major problem for black people, especially in the Deep South. Zora Neale Hurston was born during this period, in the free black community of Eatonville, Florida. The daughter of a preacher and former school teacher, Zora grew up listening to the local storytellers. Her mother wanted Zora to get an education, but when her mother died, Zora's father abandoned her to a boarding school. Because her father failed to pay her expenses at the school, Zora was sent home, but her father, who had remarried, did not want her there. For many years Zora moved from one menial job to another, until she settled in Baltimore, Maryland, where she worked during the day and attended night classes. Following her dream to become a writer, she spent years finishing her high school education. She enrolled at Howard University and then received a scholarship to Barnard College, where she studied with the famous anthropologist, Franz Boas. Her gritty persistence to pursue her dream of becoming a writer is a lesson to us all about determination and the importance of an education. Today, Zora Neale Thurston's writings are "classics" in the field of African-American folklore and anthropology.

Still I Rise: The Story Of Maya Angelou, by Jeff Biggers, 4,228 words, 18 pages. On a chilly January day in 1993, Maya Angelou stood before over 250,000 at the Capitol mall in Washington, DC, to speak at the inauguration of President Bill Clinton. As America's Poet Laureate and a best selling novelist, one might mistakenly think that she had grown up knowing a life of joy and privilege, but the many difficult ordeals she experienced during her childhood are a testament to the difference between perception and reality. Maya Angelou, the sophisticated adult, and Maya Angelou, the poor black girl born in rural Arkansas, would seem to be two different people. Raped at age eight and pregnant by 16, Maya Angelou drifted through the world of prostitution and drugs, a seemingly "lost soul" with no direction. When Reverend Martin Luther King involved Maya in the civil rights movement, though, she blossomed like a beautiful flower, rising above her troubled and impoverished youth to become one of America's most acclaimed African-American poets and authors.

The Babe: The Story Of George Herman Ruth, by Jeff Biggers, 4,968 words, 19 pages. Growing up above a saloon on the docks of Baltimore, Maryland, George Herman Ruth was raised by a sickly mother and busy father who provided him little love or guidance. George's early experiences were in his family's bar and on the docks, where he copied the rough behaviors of the sailors and ran the streets and back alleys getting into trouble with other boys. One day, he stole a dollar from the cash register in his father's bar, to buy him and his friends ice cream. His father caught George taking the money and beat him. Resenting his father's violent beating, George stole money from the cash register again. This was the "last straw" for his father and mother, who felt they could no longer care for George. At age seven, his parents abandoned George to the St. Mary's Industrial School for Boys, a juvenile detention center, where he spent the remainder of his youth getting into trouble and learning to play baseball. While at St. Mary's, George gained a reputation as a "slugger" and pitcher. At age 19, the team that is now the Baltimore Orioles signed George to a professional baseball contract. His teammates named George "The Babe," because of his childish behaviors, a name that stuck with him the rest of his baseball career, including the Boston Red Sox and New York Yankees. Considered one of the greatest baseball players of all time, Babe Ruth never forgot his humble beginnings and his love for children.

The Country Singer: The Story Of Loretta Lynn, by Jeff Biggers, 4,429 words, 18 pages. Born in Butcher Hollow, Kentucky, Loretta Lynn lived with her family deep in the valleys of the Appalachian Mountains. Both her mother and father were part Cherokee Indian. Her family was very poor. They had no electricity, running water of indoor plumbing. Her father scratched out a living in the coalmines. Loretta Lynn grew up listening to the old songs and hard times of the mountain people. She also was a troublemaker, who only finished the eighth grade. At the age of 13, Loretta became pregnant, and at 14, she was married. She did not use birth control, having three more babies over the next three years. Loretta and her husband, Doo, moved to Washington State, where Loretta washed and cleaned other people's clothing and picked strawberries to make ends meets. Blessed with a beautiful voice and a love of Appalachian music, Loretta Lynn spent many years learning to sing in front of an audience and traveling from one town to the next promoting her records. From a poor, uneducated and pregnant teenager to a famous country music singer, Loretta Lynn rose above her humble beginnings to become one of the most influential stars in the country music business, but she always looked back to the hard times of Butcher Hollow and the young pregnant girl unsure of her future.

The General: The Story Of George S. Patton, by Jeff Biggers, 4,645 words, 18 pages. As a young boy, George Patton had problems reading and spelling. With a family history of "dyslexia," experts now think that George suffered from the genetic disorder that afflicts many students. Because his disorder went undetected, George had trouble reading aloud and writing on the blackboard. He was constantly ridiculed and put down by his classmates in both public school and military school because written words seemed scrambled in his mind. Nevertheless, this did not stop George from trying his best. He learned to work harder than the students did and to push himself to reach his fullest potential. Even when he had to repeat his first year at West Point, the famous military school, George redoubled his efforts. He refused to be defeated. The great military general who helped to win World War II fought on to conquer his problems with words, just as he fought hard to win the war, and through it all he learned that he could not be defeated, if he tried his best and did not give up.

The Great Inventor: The Story Of Thomas Edison, by Jeff Biggers, 4,523 words, 17 pages. Thomas Edison is famous for inventing the electric light bulb, phonograph, Dictaphone and many other mechanical devices, but few people know about his childhood struggles. He had trouble in public school and dropped out. By age 12, the young Edison worked 14-hour days selling newspapers and candy on trains. His early experiments ended in failure, including burning down the family barn and setting fire to a railroad baggage car. In his early teens, Thomas lost most of his hearing when he was accidentally pulled by his ears onto the loading car of a train. He experienced one failure after another, but these and other problems did not stop him from working hard and believing in himself. Then, after many disappointments and failed experiments, Thomas patented a new way of repairing stock machines. He sold the patent to a wealthy businessman for a lot of money, and reinvested the money in what he called the "invention factory," in Menlo Park, New Jersey. From his humble family roots, hearing problems and long history of failure, Thomas Edison continued to strive to be the best he could be and became one of the greatest inventors in American history.

The Senator: The Story Of Ben Nighthorse Campbell, by Jeff Biggers, 4,791 words, 19 pages. Born to a Portuguese immigrant mother and Native American father, Ben spent much of his childhood under tremendous stress. His mother had tuberculosis and spent much of her life in and out of a sanatorium. When his father was at home, his alcoholism forced the family to suffer domestic violence. The combination of his mother's illness and father's drunkenness created an unstable environment that offered Ben little direction or discipline. At an early age, Ben was placed in an orphanage. He also spent time in a juvenile detention home. His senior year of high school, Ben dropped out and joined the military. In the military, he practiced judo, using judo and its philosophy of self-discipline as a way to take control of his life. He went back and finished high school, and then college and graduate school, all of which led him to politics and becoming a United States Senator.

The Uroboros: A True Story About Overcoming A Troubled Childhood, by Waln K. Brown, Ph.D., 3,760 words, 12 pages. In this revealing autobiographical account, written for troubled and delinquent youth, the author tells of the years spent growing up in a dysfunctional family. Abandoned by his father prior to age 11 and raised by an obsessive-compulsive mother, the emotionally disturbed young boy begins a downward spiral of attempted suicides, school failures, delinquent behaviors and institutional placements. He becomes a ward of the juvenile court, and from age 13 through 17, he is placed in an orphanage, juvenile detention home, state psychiatric hospital and juvenile reformatory. By using the ancient symbol of the "self-begetting Uroboros," (a snake biting its own tail) the author explains to troubled youth how his family problems caused him to have problems in other areas of life in a never-ending circle of pain and self-destruction, until he decided to change his behaviors. Also included are ten review questions to help reinforce the story's message.

World Heavyweight Boxing Champion: The Story Of George Foreman, by Jeff Biggers, 5,238 words, 19 pages. Born into poverty and growing up on the "mean streets" of the Fifth Ward in Houston, Texas, George Foreman seemed destined for a life of failure and imprisonment. A habitual truant, George dropped out of school and turned to a life of crime. Spending much of his time on the streets, George and his friends began "mugging" people, taking their money and other belongings. George and his friends used the stolen money to buy cigarettes and liquor, and because George had a short temper and powerful build, he was constantly street fighting. George felt like it was the only way to get people to treat him with respect. Then, he joined the Job Corps and learned the "sweet science" of boxing, but still he continued to fight the demons of his troubled past. After many years of inner-struggle, George won the Olympic Gold Medal as a heavyweight, and went on to win the World Heavyweight Boxing Championship at age 23 and then again at age 45.