My grandfather was a Navy veteran who was persistent and generous. He was always known as someone who helped others. He was the oldest of 12 children. His father was an alcoholic, so he dropped out of school at ten years old to work and help support his family. As a teenager during the Great Depression, he lied about his age to join the US Navy and eventually became a machinist. He sent money to his mother every month so his younger siblings could eat. He also saved as much as he could. One year for Christmas, he surprised his mother with a washing machine he bought with his savings, so she didn’t have to wash clothes by hand for her large family anymore. Many decades later, his younger siblings would still cry when they told the story about the washing machine and how he helped take care of them. My grandfather’s ship was stationed at Pearl Harbor when the Japanese attacked on December 7, 1941. He told us that the night before the attack, his ship traded places with another ship which ended up being sunk during the attack. Our family is very grateful that he managed to survive that fateful day. He continued to serve in the navy through World War II and beyond, and received several medals and awards, but he did not like to speak much of the war. Although my grandfather dropped out of school at an early age, education was very important to him. Enlisting in the navy gave him the opportunity to obtain a high school diploma and college degree. After he retired from the navy he went back to school and obtained a master’s degree in education. He then taught elementary school for fifteen years. Both my father and uncle are autistic and have learning disabilities, but it was important to my grandparents that despite these challenges that they get an education. In a time before special education was common in public schools, my grandfather chose education as a second career in part so he could help them. All four of his children went on to graduate from college. As a child I remember my grandfather strongly encouraging me to do well in school. I remember him reading to me and encouraging me to read aloud to him at a young age. For every birthday or Christmas he bought me books, most of which I saved and read to my own children. My grandfather passed away at the age of ninety-four, a few months before I graduated with my bachelor’s degree in nursing and before my children were around to meet him. I think he would be pleased that I am the first person in our family to pursue a doctorate degree. When I was a child I remember my grandfather being enthusiastic and cheerful and I loved to spend time with him. He told lots of ‘dad jokes’ and laughed heartily. Now as a parent of autistic children, I appreciate his influence and persistence even more. Advocating for children with special needs is relentless work. It often feels like if I do not figure out how to help them, no one else will. There have been countless times I have used my training as a nurse practitioner to help meet the education and health needs of my children, just as my grandfather used his training as a teacher to support his autistic children. I am now working on a PhD in developmental psychology and hope to improve outcomes for many more autistic individuals.