I’m not exactly sure why we’ve been going through old papers at my mom’s house lately. Maybe we are all missing my dad. It’s been just four years. I know I truly find comfort in memories.

The most interesting thing, however, is that we are learning things about my dad that none of us knew – including my mom.

We found an old resume. From it we learned details about his military service in Korea. We knew that he had served but didn’t know that he had received a number of medals. I always knew from a 10,000 foot up kind of perspective that my dad was involved in the local PTA growing up. He was, after all, an educator. (My dad retired as an elementary school principal of one of the largest schools in Brooklyn). According to his resume, he was more involved in the local PTA than I remembered, having served on Executive Boards and even as President when I was in high school. With my own experience, I know now what a commitment all of those positions require and he clearly did it with ease.

We found an old transcript. My dad earned his masters from Brooklyn College, a Master of Science in Education on February 1, 1958 to be exact. He did well, all As and Bs and based on his chosen coursework, seemed to have an interest in mental health issues in education. Maybe that is where my daughter’s passion for mental health started.

We found an old yearbook, his high school yearbook. He was so young and handsome. He was on the Service Squad, was a Football Manager and a German Tutor. Who knew? It was the first we learned that he had anything to do with football or that he studied German. But, perhaps the best was his senior quote: “Plenty of pep, plenty of style, a regular guy with a regular smile.”

Memories that just make me smile.