I often listen to PBS radio on my way to and from the mathematics classes that I teach. I enjoy the interesting programming, particularly The Engines of Ingenuity a short feature from the Engineering Department of the University of Houston. There is no predicting what the brief spot will be about, but it is always quite interesting. 

A recent edition found a most unique way of discussing the old question of nature versus nurture, the debate regarding whether a person’s DNA or the opportunities provided by parents have the most influence on the eventual outcome of how learned and successful an individual will ultimately become. Of course there are many studies and much evidence that that two operating in tandem are the most powerful predictors of how well a person will develop. Having good genes is certainly a plus, but combining those genes with parents who create an environment focusing on learning and observing the world heightens the possibilities for a child to grow into an intelligent and productive adult. 

I enjoyed a real life story on the program that spoke of George Boole, the son of a shoemaker who essentially taught himself mathematics and then contributed greatly to the study of Calculus as a mathematical innovator and professor. Many may know of George Boole as the inventor of Boolean Algebra which eventually became a foundation for the computer world of today. For his efforts Boole was given a gold medal and recognized as a brilliant theoriatician, but sadly his life was cut short when he contracted pneumonia and died a young man. 

Boole left a wife and four daughters and not a great deal of money for them to survive. It was the nineteenth century, a time when women were thought to be more comfortable maintaining a home rather than working. Mrs. Boole had to find a way to support her family while also encouraging her daughters to become highly educated women in an era where such things were uncommon. To accomplish her goal she worked as a librarian and invested heavily in education for the daughters rather than in savings accounts or things. At one point she even sold the gold medal that her husband George had won to pay tuition for her children. 

The young women went on not only to work in complex positions but also to attract highly intelligent men so that their own children left remarkable legacies to the world just as they and their father  and mother had done. Eventually one of the Boole grandsons, Geoffrey Taylor became an engineer and a major figure in wave theory and fluid dynamics. Few students of engineering earn a degree without studying Taylor’s ideas. Eventually he earned a gold medal for his pioneering work just as his grandfather, George Boole, had done.

I was touched by the story of the family of George Boole. I found an emotional connection with him and his wife. I too came from a family that placed a high priority on learning. Both my mother and my father urged me and my brothers to read and explore from very young ages. When my father died Mama continued to provide us with learning opportunities. She invested heavily in education, adhering to a ridiculously a strict budget that allowed her to stretch her meager income to include books and classes that would help us to develop our interests. She insisted that there was no limit to what we might achieve. She became a cheerleader and major force in helping us to understand that we had everything we needed to accomplish our dreams. 

My mother was quite proud that she herself served as a model for us by working during the day, taking college classes in the late afternoon, studying in the wee hours of the night and still maintaining a loving and healthy household. She often boasted that she came from a mother and father who had little more than grade school educations but she herself had a college degree. What made her even more proud was that my brothers and I all had master’s degrees and her grandchildren were all college educated with some earning PhDs and medical degrees. She left a legacy of encouragement and example rather than a fortune in money and things. She taught us to use our talents and our diplomas to make a difference in society. I became a teacher and school administrator with a master’s degree. My youngest brother had two advanced degrees and was a Chief in the Houston Fire Department. My other brother had two advanced degrees and wrote the computer program for the navigation of the shuttle to the International Space Station. 

The value of the legacy from our mother is incalculable. Se had a very difficult life in terms of tragedy, illness and lack of money but somehow she managed to leave the world owning her home and having zero debts while sending us to private schools and excellent universities. Her priority was always working to help us to achieve our potential. She was amazing in that regard and no doubt should have written that book that she always said she might do to help others to know how to inspire and challenge their children to be their best. I can’t think of a better inheritance that she might have left us. She was a woman who elevated nurture to its highest possible level. What a great woman she was!