Impacting My Future
Sometimes, the person who changes your entire world never gets the chance to know they
did. Time goes on and you never really think back on the people who taught and inspired you. The
person, who has taught me so many things and has made the biggest impact on my entire life, is my own
grandfather, Leo Haynes. Sadly, he never got the chance to hear me say that he inspired me. He died
from Lung Cancer in September of 2002. It is funny how traits and abilities can be passed down from
generations. His inclined music ability and love of science are now mine to have and cherish.
Leo Haynes served in the Army at the age of nineteen and was deployed to enter the Paci’c
Campaign during World War II. He served for ten years from 1943 to 1953. His ending rank was Master
Sergeant. When he came back from war, he decided to a.end college. He was accepted to Houston-
Tillotson College in Austin. During this time period, blacks could not a.end all white universities. For my
grandfather, Math, Biology, and Chemistry came easy for him. When he was in his science class, the
professor asked him what his major was. He said he was undecided at that time and was not sure what
he really wanted to do. His professor told him that his grades were excellent and that he should consider
majoring in science. It seemed to be easy for him to grasp and understand science theories, so why not?
One of his fellow classmates told him that he should consider taking one of them up as a major. He chose
to pursue a double major in Chemistry and Biology, so he could become a teacher. He minored in
Physical Education. Being a Black, male teacher in the late 1950’s was a tough decision, but he was
willing to do whatever it took to pass down his knowledge to another generation. At all-Black schools in
this time period, teachers had to work several jobs for one pay check. His other jobs included coaching
for the football, basketball, and track teams.
Leo started a band while he a.ended college. A friend, from the Army, taught him how to
play the saxophone in their spare time during the war. Surprisingly, playing the saxophone came
naturally for him. He then learned how to write music by taking Music Education classes as electives