Recently I was introduced to an incredibly inspiring man, Cranston F. Jones. I learned about Mr. Jones after he died. Yet, I am no less inspired by him.
Mr. Jones was a war hero of epic proportions. During WWII, he was part of the front line of infantry in the European Theater where 2 out of 3 people perished in the fight – men were literally dying all around him. Not only did he win the bronze star for bravery but he also liberated the Nazi concentration camp Dachau. Uh huh. You read that correctly. He cut the wires, killed the camp commandant and freed the remaining Jewish prisoners.
Although he accomplished extraordinary, otherworldly things during his lifetime, the thing that Mr. Jones was most proud of was being a dad (Silver Lining).
Apparently Mr. Jones was a lifelong teacher who, even in death, continues to teach. The story goes is Mr. Jones died on Friday. On Monday, his family planned to send his body to the crematorium for…well, you know. That morning, prior to this transfer, his wife said to one of his sons, “You should go through your Dad’s safety deposit box and make sure there isn’t anything in there we should know about.” In the safety deposit box, on the very top of a huge stack of papers was an article folded up with the just the word in his writing “Please.”
The article (below) was dated over 40 years ago:
Needless to say the trip to the crematorium didn’t happen and his body was donated to science.
I believe that it’s never too late to learn about and be inspired by people. Mr. Cranston F. Jones is that person for me this week. I am so grateful for the education and inspiration he has given to me. And a special thank you to his family who allowed me to share his story.
Who is inspiring you today?