My Grandfather (1890-1961) This dedication page has been a long time coming. Oh, I knew from the day I started making my homepage that it was dedicated to my grandfather, but I wanted this page to be as special as he was and so I waited to be inspired. Maybe I could write a poem or create a visual masterpiece like others do on their dedication pages. But, alas, I'm not a poet nor am I very artistic. Whatever I am, though, and whatever I have accomplished, I owe in large part to him. I was born the oldest of three children and the oldest of five grandchildren. We lived with my grandparents when I was a baby, and then moved to a larger house where we lived just downstairs from them until I was six years old. Because of that, my grandfather adored me, and I was always called "Grandpa's Girl", even by people I didn't know. "Oh, you must be Grandpa's Girl!" people would say to me and smile, as I walked hand and hand with him down the street. And I was so proud of that. I still am. :-)) Grandpa loved all of his grandchildren but I always knew I was special to him. To a little girl who was extremely shy and lacking in self confidence, my grandfather's special love for me, and the wisdom and guidance he gave me have continued to this day to be a positive force in my life, even though God took him when I was only fifteen. The most important thing my Grandpa taught me was to never give up and never say "I can't". "Yes, you can!" he'd scold me, when I'd say I couldn't tie my shoes or get a good grade in arithmetic, etc. "Don't ever say you can't do something, Mary Ann. You can do anything, if you want to bad enough." On the dozens of times I was discouraged while making these pages, it was my grandfather's voice I heard saying "Yes you CAN make a homepage!" And so I'd keep going. My love for all kinds of music is another thing I got from my Grandfather. He had a huge record collection and I would listen to them all for hours. The first song I learned was the one you hear in the background. Grandpa would sing it to me as I sat in his lap and played with his fancy belt buckle at age two. I remember him singing this in my ear as he held me tight. This homepage is a simple one, made by a simple woman, but my Grandpa would have thought it the best homepage on the internet.  :-)) So, Grandpa, this homepage is for you with deep appreciation for all the love and encouragement you gave me, and for being so proud of me. I am still your girl, Grandpa, and I still miss you.