It’s a national tragedy that too many young men these days lack father figures, role models or any sort of guiding hand. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, 15 million U.S. children, or one in three, live without a father. In 1960, just 11 percent of American children lived in homes without fathers.
I have been very fortunate in my life. I have had many role models. I have a father and an uncle from whom I learned honesty, hard work and diligence. I had a high school English teacher who put me on a career path and taught me more about writing in one year than I learned in four years at college. And, I had Don Hegland, who died July 21 at age 77.