Graduation Speech: Renshaw

Many people have qualms about their surname for a multitude of reasons, but I never will. To begin with, I come from a long line of wonderful Renshaws and a legacy to protect. On top of that, I was never supposed to be a Renshaw and I have had to fight to keep it. Furthermore, I am the last Renshaw and if I were to change it, it will disappear forever. My family’s name represents all of the sacrifices they have made and I am honored to bear it. My grandfather and great-grandfather are the primary reasons of my familial pride. In the first instance, my great-grandfather made the ultimate sacrifice seventy-two years ago. Chester Manual Renshaw, Sr., was a regular guy from southern Missouri, but he was drafted in World War II in 1942. He left his family behind to answer his call to serve. His son, my grandfather, was born on July 7th, 1943, and he hardly ever got to come home to see him. He hadn’t yet gone overseas. He died in France on his twenty-fifth birthday on August 7th, 1944. I’ve read some of the letters he sent back home and if those are any indication of his character, he was amazing. In the same fashion, Mary Jo Renshaw is my grandmother and she is a firecracker. I don’t think I will ever meet someone quite …show more content…
For example, I don’t know if my great-grandfather’s brother had any children. My Grandpa didn’t ever have much contact with his father’s side of the family so I have to assume that I’m the only Renshaw left, which I sort of am. Similarly, my Grandpa is an only child and had no sons. My Grandpa had two half-siblings, but their last name was Crites, not Renshaw. He also only had two daughters: my Aunt Cheryl and my mother. Last, but certainly not least, my brothers and one cousin have their father’s last names. I have two half-brothers and my aunt has one daughter, but their last names are Shrable and Zilinskas. Hundreds of years of the Renshaw legacy depend on me, but I’m willing to handle