Larry Badskey

How is Lincoln my hero? A simple man, he was known to do great things. Growing up he stuck out as one of the smartest people because he was one of the few people who could read and write. He was persuasive, too, which came in handy as a lawyer, winning many cases. As the President, he showed his bravery. Confederates and Southerners wanted him dead during the Civil War. Instead of hiding in the White House, Lincoln was not afraid to show his face. Finally, even though he may have looked serious, he had a great sense of humor. He often made jokes and once went to a horse trade with a saw horse. He also made jokes about himself. One time, a man called Lincoln two-faced. He simply replied "If I were two-faced would I be wearing this one?

All of these points illustrate how Lincoln was an amazing person. Larry Badskey, my uncle, is much like Lincoln making him a "Lincoln" hero. Larry is fairly tall, strong, has a dark face, salt and pepper hair, and glasses. He dresses in plain clothing and has a low voice. Those things just make up a physical description; they don't make him a hero. Larry shares many character traits with Abraham Lincoln, such as bravery, sense of humor, kindness, and persuasion. He shows a lot of these traits at the county fair or his work, but also at other less expected places like his surprise 50th birthday party and working outside of his job.

Larry compares with Lincoln in many ways. He is, although sometimes he doesn't act like it, very intelligent. Many times during the 4-H Fair, we run into unforeseen problems such as the animals fighting amongst themselves. It was too late to drive to a store and buy gates or equipment. He came up with the idea to put together a small barrier with some pliers and leftover gates. He is also very persuasive. Also at the fair, when I was very young and in my first year at 4-H, my sister had won and plaque for her pig's class while I had not. I became very upset and felt inferior. Persuasive person that he is, Larry got me to see the bright side and convinced me to cheer up. Next round, I won a plaque with a different pig and went on to win Grand Champion.

There are more traits that can be used to describe him, though. Larry is very brave. He drives loads across the country in a semi truck. That alone does not sound so brave, but there are aspects to it that say otherwise. Larry is injured very often while working, sometimes requiring surgery. He once cut his head while working on a trailer. He had staples in his head after the surgery! While working on gates, he slipped a disk. A chiropractor had to be rushed over to help him out. He was on crutches and still came back to supervise. Worst of all, he is dealing with Parkinson's disease. Through all this he still continues to work and support his family.

A final trait Larry shares with Lincoln his sense of humor. Even while doing work, he can appreciate a good joke. His smile truly shined at his birthday party when he received a few gag gifts, one, an oversized universal television remote.

Larry has impacted many lives as well as my own. Before the fair, he assists me while selecting pigs to show. I have little to no knowledge of how to pick a pig, and he helps a lot. He also helps nearby people with their problems. Another young adult at the fair and her mother were freaking out. Their pig was breathing heavily and was a deep purple. Larry came by, told them that it was stressing out, and told them what to do about it. He treated them as people, no opponents. As Lincoln once said, "I destroy my enemies when I make them my friends." That event was just one thing that I've seen him do to influence another's life.

Larry Badskey is my Lincoln hero, but he shouldn't be the only hero. We can all take something from people like Larry and Lincoln. Why should we, you might ask? We should because these people set great examples for other people in the world. Their character traits (bravery, kindness, tactfulness, persuasiveness, intelligence, and sense of humor) should be shared with more than just each other.