Knowledge is Power

Hard Work Helps Too

“Knowledge is Power.” That is the motto of Thornton Township High School in Chicago’s South Suburban Harvey. The school opened in 1899. There were 190 graduates in Thornton’s Class of 1933. My maternal grandfather, Forest Tellis, was one of the three Black students marching across the stage to accept his diploma.

The Dayton (Ohio) Black Press ran a story about him at the end of his career in 1979. He worked more than 32 years at Wright Patterson Air Force Base retiring as an automotive maintenance inspector. After high school with few job opportunities available even with his teacher’s recommendations, he joined the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) for a year. His unit was involved in constructing highways in the Western United States.

After returning to Harvey from Los Angeles with CCC experience my grandfather was eventually hired at what was formerly known as Wright Field in Dayton as a junior aircraft engine mechanic. His hard work paid off when he became a supervisor trainee at Sand Point Naval Air Station in King County, Washington. When he returned to Dayton, he rose through the civilian ranks. In the news article, he says, “I worked on every aircraft that was flown during WWII, Army or Navy.”

My grandfather may have been the first Thornton graduate in our family, but he wasn’t the last. His sister followed as one of the few Black students in her graduating class. My mother, her siblings, and my father were Thornton alumni in the 1950s. Our cousins graduated in the 1960s. I graduated from TTHS in 1974. Many cousins graduated after me. In 2019, my niece continued the legacy my grandfather began 86 years before her, stepping across the TTHS stage and earning her diploma. In every decade we had family members graduating from Thornton and instilling the Knowledge is Power theme deep in our psyche.

As seniors and elders in our families, it is important to encourage the idea of gaining knowledge for the young people we influence. The education young people learn from books while in class is one aspect. At school, socialization and communication skills with adults and other students are also developed.

The early educational years are when students begin developing conflict resolution skills and discernment about healthy and unhealthy friendships. Gaining knowledge is how young people learn to research, verify facts, and develop independent critical-thinking skills.

A few days ago, my great-niece earned her 8^th-grade diploma from a STEM middle school in Northern Indiana. While she will not be attending Thornton, she’s grown up with the stories. Her graduation photos on social media had the simple caption, “did what had to be done.” She knows this is the first step in creating the future of her dreams. Congratulations, Graduates!

Photo by Dragos Blaga on Unsplash

“A love affair with knowledge will never end in heartbreak.” Michael Garrett Marino