Immortality - how can a person's story live on after death.

[i-need-a-martini]

My dad is in his late 70's and is contemplating the end. He thinks because he has lived an average life and did nothing exciting that no-one will remember him a decade after death.

Anyway, he wants his name to 'live on' somewhere so his story lives on somewhere.

This week he is going to register for the Welcome Wall at the National Maritime Museum but he is disappointed that the wall only has his name and no other details other than 100 words he can add to a data base.

Can anyone think of anything else he could do? 

Or do you have things you remember your grandparents/ancestors by?

Or maybe you have already thought about what legacy you will leave your kids/grandkids etc?

All ideas welcome. Note he doesn't have any money to leave and English is his second language.

[happyroo_bunji]

Unfortunately I don't think a muesuem will accept a biography from just anyone, the person would need to be famous.

[katydidthat]

katydidthat....I'm from Newbridge (between Pontypool & Newport) & spent many holidays at Porthcawl

Twyn, we went to Porthcawl for holidays from when we were very young, and I've taken my son there many times.  It's an idyllic holiday spot, isn't it?  The sea is safe, you have the donkeys on the sand, the Coney Beach funfair, the slot machines (oh, how much money I lost there). The wonderful fish and chip (and faggots and peas) shop near Coney Beach ... 

And then, in the middle of such touristy stuff, you have the very pleasant town of Porthcawl which has kept its own character for years.  

My Dad was from a mining background and I think he first went to Porthcawl as part of miners' holidays where they got paid to go there for two weeks ... 

Did you ever go to St Fagans?  

[love*today]

Has anyone suggested a Facebook page. 

that way he can post albums, sayings his thoughts, stories etc.

everything in one place and easily searchable.

[rabbitearbandicoot]

i-need-a-martini wrote: "he wants his name to 'live on' somewhere so his story lives on somewhere."

I don't quite understand. If he doesn't want anything written down, and he doesn't want to discuss his personal memories - what IS HIS STORY - if not his personal memories, likes, dislikes etc?

In his late 70's so born around 1935-1940? You mentioned that he had bad memories of the war - those are some of what form the basis of HIM / his story. Even if they are bad, there must be some good memories in amongst them.

Until I started to look at our family tree, I had no idea about my father or his father. I was under the impression that our family had a typical non eventful, ordinary existence. But when I started to dig ... wow!! I discovered we had all sorts of skeletons in our closet - some good and some not so good, but it's all part of who WE are. Obviously I cannot go into much of it on here, but what your father considers 'ordinary' may be very interesting to you and your descendants. I don't know how much you already know about him and his life, but see if you can get him talking about his parents and their life, what his father did, life in his homeland, who his friends were at school, how and where he met his wife, where did he propose - sometimes seemingly mundane things can open up memories and things can develop from there. I remember saying quite often as things progressed ... "I didn't know that ..", "I can't imagine dad doing that".

It took me probably 2 years to get our story together but it was well worth the effort in the end. One of the most important parts of it was that we discovered a whole new branch of the family in England and Scotland - aunts, uncles, cousins etc and Dad suddenly found a new lease on life at 80. I took him to UK to meet his other family members that even HE didn't know about and we discovered ALL SORTS of things.

Anyway, I digress ... get him talking is what I would suggest ... who knows where it will lead.

[monstersinthedungeon]

Get him into the Guiness Book of Records. There are hundreds of different records, so maybe he could be the oldest at .... something? (don't mean that in a nasty way, but unless he's particularly good at something, then he may have to use his age as a record breaker, iykwim)?

[green.fields]

I understand what your father is saying as my FIL is fond of saying he has done nothing and gone nowhere in life. Most of us however are just ordinary people who won't be leaving a mark as such anywhere. What is important and has already been mentioned is PHOTOS and a record of how he came to this country and what he did when he came here, family stories ect because some descendants further down the line will eagerly search for them, somewhere, anywhere. 

So make a scrapbook of memories and get him to do the welcome wall because that at least is a little something.

[*notatroll]

I once visited an en exhibition of Egyptian antiquities at the museum and there was this small wooden carving of a young girl.

The inscription said something like "speak my name and remember me" so I whispered her name aloud and thought about who she might have been.

[i-need-a-martini]

Get him into the Guiness Book of Records. There are hundreds of different records, so maybe he could be the oldest at .... something?

OMG I love that idea! I can't even imagine what he could do but that would so appeal to his sense of humour! I'll mention that - it should keep him thinking up crazy ideas for months lol!

but what your father considers 'ordinary' may be very interesting to you and your descendants.

I so agree but old people don't think this when they are getting melancholy. I imagine even if you lived a full and eventful life you might still think you haven't done enough.

I don't know if there are any skeletons in the closet but he tells fabulous and really funny stories about growing up in Italy and the mishaps that happened when he first arrived in Australia. 

I've just got to get him talking!

[lurker17260]

I would suggest getting onto someone from somewhere like the National Museum.  After all they are the experts at preserving "history" and might have some ideas that wouldn't enter our heads.

I think a few years ago they were doing something like an oral history of migration project.  I remember recording my story of coming from NZ (I think it was at the NMA).  I didn't think it was all that interesting or important but was assured it contributed to an overall picture.  Might be worth a phone call?

[monstersinthedungeon]

Get him into the Guiness Book of Records. There are hundreds of different records, so maybe he could be the oldest at .... something?

OMG I love that idea! I can't even imagine what he could do but that would so appeal to his sense of humour! I'll mention that - it should keep him thinking up crazy ideas for months lol!

It may be a nice project for the two of you to work on together, Martini, and the time spent working on it creates a lovely memento of the two of you in his twilight years.