My Father: At Nineteen

Among my father’s papers was this personality assessment, written when he was nineteen years old. He had likely just finished high school and, like many young adults, was trying to determine what direction his life would take. During this period, he explored a variety of interests through correspondence courses in subjects such as cartooning, commercial art, and decorative painting. I do not know who Marian A. Brunelle was or why she prepared this assessment, but it was clearly important enough that my father chose to save it.

The letter describes him as independent, sincere, energetic, enthusiastic, and generous. It suggests that he possessed a wide range of interests, enjoyed sports, appreciated music, and had a strong sense of individuality. It also offered thoughtful observations about his restless nature, his tendency toward perfectionism, and his desire to experience many different things rather than limit himself to a single pursuit. Whether these observations proved accurate is impossible to know with certainty, but they provide an intriguing glimpse into how someone viewed my father at the beginning of his adult life.

What makes this document especially meaningful to me is when it was written. In May 1939, my father’s future was still unwritten. He could not have known that within a few years he would be serving in the Army during World War II, spending time in the Aleutian Islands, marrying my mother, raising a family, and eventually settling in New Hampshire. At nineteen, he was simply a young man searching for direction, much like countless others at that stage of life.

Perhaps that is why he kept this assessment. Whether he agreed with its conclusions or simply found it interesting, it captured a moment of possibility before life’s major events began to unfold. Reading it today, I am reminded that every life has a season when the future is still uncertain, and every decision seems capable of shaping the years ahead.