AIB

Ashlee Brophy 

Section 06

Cause/Effect

George Caspers

George Casper’s amazing accomplishment building the first radio station in Brule, Wisconsin and surviving a tragic military plane crash has inspired me to achieve excellence in my life. I find his determination very inspirational.

George was born January 2, 1918 in Lake Bluff, Illinois. He is happily married to his wife, Olive Caspers, who also lives at Keystone Bluffs.  They have been at Keystone for three years now and they love the experience. They got married back in his hometown and just recently celebrated their sixty fifth wedding anniversary. George and Olive have one daughter, Susan, who lives in Maple, Wisconsin with her three children.

His mother and father passed away when George was two, so he had to be put into an orphanage. For years he moved between orphanages until he was old enough to be on his own. George grew up with three sisters; his youngest sibling is still alive and living in
Illinois.

I grew up as an only child with my mother, so I couldn’t imagine having three other siblings to share my life with. I have to admit I would love the company of a sister or brother to always be there for me.

Wood carving is one of George’s favorite hobbies. He believes he inherited his love and affection for wood working from one of his uncles, who lived in Norway. Another one of his hobbies is studying bird life. At one point in time, he lived on an eighty acre farm where he could watch the birds migrate each year.   

George attended grade school, high school, and then entered the military where he worked on ships for five years as the Chief Radio Technician. He studied electrical engineering and entered the USAF (United States Armed Forces) program which was administered by the University of Wisconsin in Madison. This program was all done by correspondence. Waiting for the grade of the exam was a long process because after filling out the test, passing ships would pick them up and send them back to Madison to be graded. I was amazed when he told me about this. George ended up passing the exam with flying colors and ended up building the first radio station in Brule, Wisconsin.

George was only in the military for five years, but during this time he experienced a tragic plane crash. Seven men, including him, were flying to a destination when all of a sudden something happened to the plane. It ended up crashing with George being the only survivor. In the past, planes contained cyanide gas in the interior padding. This gas was also used in execution chambers, so you can imagine the effect. Luckily George escaped the accident with only minor injuries. The affect of this accident causes his eyes to continually tear while he is in an upright position. The doctors say there is no cure for this, so he just has to live with his unfortunate situation.

One of George’s first jobs was working for Motorola. It started out in Chicago, but was later moved to a plant set up in Florida. During this time the transistor was invented, so George was one of the first people to try and prove that this radio device could possibly work. This device was a big change during that time. One very interesting fact is that the transistor has now evolved into what we call the cell phone. When he was asked if he liked working there, he said, “Yes, it was very interesting.” This experience was a huge accomplishment in George’s life.

When looking at his life experiences, I find it amazing how much he has accomplished and been through in his life. George’s stories were very inspirational and have inspired me to achieve excellence in my life. I couldn’t imagine going through some of the experiences he has; for example, building the first radio station in Brule, Wisconsin to surviving the plane crash of his younger years. George’s experience growing up without his parents makes me look at my life and realize how lucky I am to have my mom. I feel I need to cherish every day I spend with her. I hope that someday I can be as strong and determined as George and also be able to experience great accomplishments throughout my life.