the brief wondrous life of andrew sherman ms. sherman/english
TRANSCRIPT
The Brief Wondrous Life The Brief Wondrous Life ofofAndrew ShermanAndrew ShermanMs. Sherman/English
Meet Mr. ShermanMeet Mr. ShermanChief of Staff (second in charge) of
the Government Printing Office (GPO) in Washington, D.C.◦Works on the Hill, manages
communication for the GPO and helps manage operations
◦VERY big in politics: helped with presidential and local campaigns from college – present
◦Helped get first African-American woman appointed as Chief Printer for the GPO
Meet Mr. ShermanMeet Mr. ShermanPainter/lover of art
◦Has an eye for beauty in even desolate places
◦Shows his ability to see good in people before bad
ArtworkArtwork
ArtworkArtwork
ChildhoodChildhoodBorn and raised in Washington, D.C. to
veteran/librarian at Library of Congress◦Mother: Cornell graduate but became stay-
at-home-mom◦2 sisters and 1 brother (oldest)◦11 years old: got so sick they thought he
had stomach cancer; “it’s a miracle I got better”
Spent teenage years in Falls Church, VA◦George Mason High School
Meeting Deborah LewisMeeting Deborah LewisMet wife of 32 years in high
school◦Andrew: senior; Deborah: freshman
Deborah’s upbringing: not easy◦No father, alcoholic mother, moved
around to different foster homes throughout childhood
◦“Your dad saved my life more times than I can remember”
FamilyFamily“I told myself I wasn’t going to be
the kind of father my dad was”◦Had very difficult relationship with
own father: “sometimes not the best husband or dad”
◦*My memory: grandfather died when I was 3, only memory is watching him read on the beach Was actually more important memory I
would later realize had significant impact on me
Harvey ShermanHarvey Sherman
How has this impacted How has this impacted Andrew as a Father?Andrew as a Father?
Laughter is really important: “there’s a lot of great stuff out there”
Hard work: “you need to learn how to do this on you own”
Forgiveness: realizing when you are wrong and “figuring out a way to make it right”◦Something his family rarely did was
apologize◦Makes a point to realize when he is
wrong
How has this impacted How has this impacted me?me?
Laughter, hard work, and forgiveness three very important things◦Can remember times when my dad and I
would butt heads and he would always call first (even when I should have)
Harvey’s impact◦Sometimes life has a different plan for
you◦Sometimes what you need is not
necessarily what you want◦The importance of life-long learning
Andrew Sherman todayAndrew Sherman todayDad’s insistence on me being
independent and a life-long learner helped me become very strong personality
Still close (but glad we don’t live under same roof )