Today The Carola L. Gough Foundation sponsored its first event! This event was the first Video Game Create & Play Party. Read more about the party at this URL: http://www.carolagough.com/Foundation/PartiesEvents/tabid/136/Default.aspx
We didn't end up doing exactly what is written in the plan there, but for the most part it's reflective of what we did do.
After we had our Fellini's pizza lunch, we started to set up our gaming systems, which included Game Cube, X-Box, and the Wii system. It also included three PCs set up with SkookZee 98 running in "side-by-side" mode.
Before playing, I dedicated The Carola L. Gough Foundation to its founder, my great-grandmother Carola Laurel Gough, may she be ever present in our thoughts and actions.
I recorded the dedication with my Sony laptop's built in camera. Here is the video.
The Carola L. Gough Foundation Inaugural Event Dedication
See the end of this post for the text of this dedication.
Public Service Announcement about www.GACollege411.Org:
I recorded this public service announcement on behalf of http://www.GACollege411.org. This web site lets students aspiring to go to college learn how to plan, apply, and pay for college! Great for students, great for parents!
This post is not finished yet. TODO:
- Add information about other videos shown
- Add info about Blender videos we watched
- Add info about XNA videos we watched
- Add info about Yugio cards
- Add info about Skookzee 2K8
The Carola L. Gough Foundation Dedication
First, thank you to Anthony, Mario, and Vincent for graciously hosting this party in their home. We have all known each other for almost a year and in that short time our friendship has grown stronger. When Michael, Pat, Laverne and I first heard about the situation you guys were in, we knew it was a great idea to help you by donating a computer and other things to you. What I did not know was quite how motivated and determined you all are for success. We commend you on your determination and want you to know that we think of you often and will continue to offer you our support.
Now, I'd like to say a few words in dedication to my great-grandmother Carola. I'm very excited to have this party be the very first event sponsored by The Carola L. Gough Foundation. I've brought several photo albums that contain pictures of her paintings, and photographs that her husband Gene and she took from Africa, and letters and newspaper interviews about her. I welcome all of you to look through these in a few minutes.
As most of you know, Carola passed away at age 96 and 3 months in late July two weeks after a stroke that resulted in bleeding deep within her brain. She stayed alive 10 days longer than doctors estimated she would after being taken off of IV tubes. This is simply a testament to her will and her deep and abiding love for life and for her children, grand-children, great-grandchildren, and friends.
Indeed, the most memorable and motivational conversation of my life is now the last conversation I ever had with her. Due to the stroke, she had difficulty speaking because she could barely use her tongue. But, ten minutes before I had to leave California to go home, I told her I had to leave and she must have summoned every ounce of fortitude she had to sustain a 100% crystal clear conversation with me. I wrote down this conversation after leaving. I'd like to just mention one part of it in dedication.
I was there with my great uncle Kerry, her son, my grandfather's brother.
Carola: Thank you to all of you for visiting. All my children, grandkids, and great-grandchildren, everyone. If this thing works itself out I'm going to send an announcement to all of you and we'll have a big event to celebrate.
Josh: I just wanted to let you know how much I've learned from you and that I'm trying to help others learn the same things.
Carola: By working with the kids?
Josh: Yes. I told you about the Atlanta Mentors Leadership Group several of my friends and I are creating to help young people.
Carola: Yes.
Josh: We are dedicating it to you and your example.
Carola: Thank you. That is an honor.
Josh: You deserve it.
Carola: Well, I don't know.
Josh: I do know.
Carola: Thank you.
Josh: I love you very much great-grandma .
Carola: I love you too, and thank you for coming here.
Josh: Great grandma, spending time with you, seeing your artwork, understanding how you have lived your life and embraced change, and seeing your example of volunteering with children in your 90's has made me believe that I can achieve any good and noble purpose I set out to accomplish.
And, these next words, I will always, always, always remember: She leaned forward and said as clearly and as forcefully as she possibly could:
You can!
I said, "I'm driving back to Matt & Christine's now"
Carola: OK, drive carefully, and call me when you get back to Atlanta. Let me know you got home safely.
Josh: OK I will. I love you always.
Carola: I love you too.
That was my last conversation with her. I feel so fortunate that I had the chance to tell her these things and to inform her of our intentions with both The Atlanta Mentors Leadership Group and The Carola L. Gough Foundation.
It is now up to us, for whom she left a tremendous example, to carry forward with her legacy and honor her memory by putting into action the following mission of her foundation:
"Enriching young lives through the wonders of art & science"
And so today I raise a toast, both in remembrance of her life and example of commitment to excellence and service to family, friends, and to the community as it came from her, and in honor of each and every one of you for your commitment to excellence and service to family, friends, and the community as it is to come.
As we do so, let us remember the wise aphorism that reads:
People are more important than tasks. Just be there. Take time. Savor the moment. -- Unknown
This Carola embodied with full recognition. We will do well to emulate such recognition.
So, let us always keep her memory in our minds as we commit ourselves to excellence in serving our family, friends, and our community.
And let us always do our best to follow her embrace of life, exemplified in her attitude when she said, "Whatever life has to throw at you, run to meet it head on."
We can, and we will.
Cheers!
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