Occupations

Since today is father's day, let's focus on our dads.  We are going to learn more about what he did for a living.

Some sample questions to learn more about your father's occupation might be:
What occupations did your father (or mother) have?
When you were young, what did you want to be when you grew up?
Why did you choose your current occupation?
What other jobs have you had? Did you enjoy them? What did you like about them?
What is a memorable experience from work?
(These are all great questions that you can answer in the stories section of memories on Family Tree.)

For example, I always knew my dad was a mathematician.  He taught at Ricks College while I was growing up.  But what I learned was:
The first paid job Jay had was a newspaper route in Houston, Texas. He was around 11 years old and would deliver the papers in the afternoon on his bike. 
(Our family used to deliver newspapers!  My kids will be able to relate to that!)
Jay had several odd jobs while he was living in Baltimore and going to high school at the Baltimore City College. One spring/summer he helped the milkman make home deliveries out in the country on Saturdays. The milkman would pick him up early in the morning – around 5 am. While the milkman drove the route, Jay would reach back into the truck and get the next order prepped and ready. Then Jay would run it up to the door and the milkman would drive to the next stop. Jay was the arms and legs of that operation (because he couldn’t drive). His official title was probably something like “Grunt.” The benefits included a free quart of milk to drink with the sandwich he brought for lunch.
(I feel a tie-in with the 2 free loaves of bread I get each week from working at Great Harvest making sandwiches.)
Jay was hired as a babysitter to watch some elementary age kids all day long as the mother had to work. This lasted for only 2 or 3 days. It was the most boring job he ever had. There was absolutely nothing to do but fix lunch and clean up afterwards. The mother and her children were also living in Claremont (government subsidized housing) but had no books and no radio let alone a TV. 
(So many of my kids can relate to babysitting!)
His junior year of college, Jay got a job working for the florist next to campus. He would put soil in the beds, water the flowers, and move things around. Because they made floral arrangements – bouquets and corsages – Jay was able to learn how to make a corsage for Sue for one of the dances they went to.  He made it out of lilacs and pine.  (see photo below)

While Jay was teaching at Ricks College a new Math Department Chair was needed.  Each faculty member was brought in and asked whom they thought it should be.  They all had different ideas which sounded similar (not me!) So Jay made a weighted die with everyone’s name on it to help the president decide whom to call. Jay’s name was always on bottom and the guy he thought should be head always ended on top.  And that is how Boyd Cardon became the new Math Department Chair!
My sister Leiana recalls, "I often ran into people who took Math from my dad...he was a fabulous teacher. He could explain any math concept in 2 or 3 different ways, finding a method for any student to understand. Those students who had him, loved him and talked fondly about their time in his class, and this is math we are talking about!"
I remember my father writing his own math materials. As a family, we would collate the pages by hand and slip them into manila envelopes to make math packets. These would cost the students considerably less than buying a text book. Jay knew that most students were struggling with limited funds, so he wanted to save them money.
What I didn't know until I started researching online was that:
"When Jay left Ricks he left his earnings from the Math Modules he had authored to be the used as the nest egg for a student scholarship.  That fund and the earnings continue to assist math students each semester.”

Several years ago (2004) we were asked to make a video for a family reunion that would help others get to know us better ... what we did, where we lived, etc.  David’s occupation played a predominate role in the making of this video.

How can knowing a person’s occupation help with family history?

1. It can help distinguish between people with the same name
2. It can identify the person as he moves from place to place
3. It builds ties with descendants who have similar interests
4. It tells you something about their lifestyle

Get to know your family better by asking questions about their lives. What did your grandpa study at the university?

What's in a name? Does your surname indicate an ancestor’s occupation? Does it suggest a country or culture of origin?

Activity: You can call, write, email, text, Skype or talk face to face with your father if he is still living.  If he has passed on, contact another family member who may know the answer to your questions.  (Take time for class members to contact or reach out to their fathers.  Allow time for them to share their experiences.)