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Ima Student

Ms. Herlihy

English 12 Advanced

13 May 2013

I’m Still Here

A Short Biography About the Life and Times of Bryan Speirs

Inquiry Question: How did growing up without a father impact his being a father, and how has

cancer changed his life.

The rhythmic bounce of the worn Spaulding basketball as it bounces off the tar, and the

repeated swishing of the nylon net hanging from the cast-iron cylindrical rim attached to the ten-

foot stanchion, with its plexiglass backboard. The dribble, dribble, swish was a constant, as if it

were the background baseline beat to a Jay-Z song. At the other end of this harmonious noise,

one could find none other than Bryan Speirs, a man, who, even through old age and illness, “can

still out shoot my sons in a free throw contest,”(B. Speirs 30 Jan.) as he so boldly claims. The

sun beats down, beads of sweat form on his sun-tanned neck, yet he still plays on. Dribble,

dribble, swish. The green shirt, given to him as a coach of his son’s recreation team, hangs off of

his six foot four inch frame, the sleeve slots of the shirts pressed out from the muscular arms

pressing against them, a tribute to Bryan’s dedication to fitness and his physique. The hot

summer air will most likely smell of freshly cut grass, a task Bryan tenderly takes to, carefully

clipping the green blades to make his lawn look as well kept as possible. Just around the corner

of the house, if you were to venture out into the backyard, you would find an above ground pool,

cover off, crystal blue water shimmering in the sun’s glow. This pool, even though it may look

fresh and new, has been up and running for fourteen years, another nod to how Bryan takes great

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care of the things he owns, for he works tirelessly to maintain his house for his family, one of his

many great characteristics, and a true definition of his work ethic.

Early Life

Bryan Ralph Speirs was born on September 22nd, 1954 in Portland, Maine, the son of

James and Eleanor Speirs, the youngest of five children, three boys and a girl. Shortly after his

birth in 1954, his parents filed for a divorce, which Bryan, who was only two at the time, had no

recollection of. Tragedy soon struck to this young family almost immediately following the

divorce. In 1957, James Speirs, who was still residing in Portland at the time, was asleep on the

couch of his apartment, when his girlfriend came home, and promptly shot the sleeping Mr.

Speirs, fatally wounding him. On August 1, 1957, James R. Speirs was pronounced dead, and

Bryan’s world was turned upside down, and he hadn’t even turned three years old yet. “I have

absolutely no memory of my father, I can’t remember what he looked like, nothing,” (B. Speirs

27 Feb.). From this time on, Bryan was raised by his single mother, Eleanor Speirs, and his three

brothers, Jimmy, Ronald, and Richard, or Dickey as Bryan calls him, and his sister Sondra. His

family was in the lower class in terms of wealth when Bryan was growing up. When describing

how his childhood was, Bryan recollects, “There was lots of laughter and fun. We didn’t have

much, but we made do with what we had. We made fun for ourselves,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.). His

mother, however, worked as hard as she could to try to put her family in the best position.

“Grammy was a hard worker, I can never remember her missing a day of work, thats what I

remember stood out about her. She worked for a bonding company,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.). Her

work ethic, and how she strived to provide for her family, is a quality that she seemed to have

passed down to Bryan, because he has been described by those around him to be, “one of the

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hardest working people I know. He will always do the job correctly, and go above and beyond,”

(Smith).

As a child, Bryan was an avid sports follower, and participant, and always working to be

the best he possibly could at whatever he did. He grew up in the city of Portland, a fairly large

city, and Bryan feels very grateful to have grown up in a place like Portland at the time that he

did. “It was a good time to live there, things were simpler, we could go anywhere, and walk

anywhere, with our dog with us, it was a good time to grow up in,” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.). He and

his brothers and sister were always involved in recreational sports, no matter the season. They

were very competitive, and they “all wanted to outdo the other” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.). when it came

to sports, whether it was baseball in the backyard or organized leagues.

His true passion in sports was baseball. “I loved the game of baseball,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.

) he says, with a wry smile. It was by far his favorite. When he was younger, he worshiped the

Boston Red Sox, and said his dream was, “to play for the Boston Red Sox, because they were my

favorite team, and I wanted to play the outfield because that’s where all my favorite players

played,” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.). His favorite Red Sock, the player he truly admired, was Tony

Conigliaro, a homegrown hero in Boston. He broke in with the Sox in 1964 as a nineteen year

old kid, and homered into the screen above the Green Monster in his first at bat as a Sock. He

was the youngest player to reach 100 career home runs at the age of twenty two, but that would

stop all too quickly in the summer of 1967, the Red Sox “Impossible Dream” season. “He

couldn't elude a high, inside Jack Hamilton fastball. The ball hit Conigliaro flush in the face,

badly damaging his left eye and forcing him to miss the balance of the 1967 season and all of

1968. Unable to see out of his left eye, Conigliaro retired,” (Markusen). Bryan, self proclaimed

as “one of his (Conigliaro’s) biggest fans” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.), was in attendance on that

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particular day in August. One of Tony Conigliaro’s teammates, Carl Yastrzemski, recounts the

experience by saying, “When he (Tony) was hit, the whole ballpark went dead silent. From

twenty feet away I could hear Rico (Petrocelli) silently whisper, ‘You’re gonna be alright.

You’re gonna be fine.’ It was that quiet,” (Yastrzemski). Bryan confirms this with a nod of his

head, saying, “The place went dead silent, everyone was in shock,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.).

Another vivid memory of great American history that is ingrained in Bryan’s memory

from his childhood to this day was the day that John Kennedy was assassinated. As described in

the article JFK’s Assassination Remembered, “President Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas,

Texas, at 12:30 pm CST on Friday November 22, 1963, while on a political trip to Texas to

smooth over frictions in the Democratic Party between liberals and conservatives. He was shot

once in the upper back and killed with a final shot to the head. He was taken to Parkland Hospital

for emergency medical treatment, but pronounced dead at 1:00 p.m.” (Globe Newspaper). In

school following the assassination, Bryan remembers how “everyone was in shock, and no one

had really come to the realization of what happened. It was all in disarray” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.).

If two things were to be used to sum up the childhood of Bryan Speirs, family and sports

would be those two things. He had great love for his family, and always spent time with not only

with his direct family, but also his grandparents, whose cabin he would visit all the time in the

summer, and his close friends, whom he considered family. He recalls about the numerous times

where his friends would eat at his house, his mother treating them like they were her own, and

vice versa. As for sports, Bryan’s love for sports was his first true love, and a love he still carries

to this day. Sports and family together gave Bryan many valuable traits that he would utilize later

on in life, namely his fantastic work ethic, his great kindness, and his competitiveness.

College and Early Adult Life

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In June of 1972, Bryan graduated with his diploma from Deering High School in

Portland, Maine. He set his sights on gaining a college education, and enrolled at the University

of Southern Maine, or USM. “I didn’t have a choice of where I was going to school. My mom

said ‘This is where you’re going, it’s all I can afford,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.). He entered his

freshman year at USM as a math major, and stuck with this major until halfway through his

sophomore year, when he decided to become a biology major. Among many fond memories at

USM, Bryan recounts playing basketball every day, and how he grew to love basketball just as

much as he loved baseball. When speaking of USM, Bryan says, “My favorite part was playing

basketball every day. I remember I would go to class in the morning, then bust my butt down to

the gym and play pick up with anybody there. There were some really talented guys there, some

on the USM team, and some who had great high school careers,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.). Despite the

tremendous amounts of basketball that Bryan played, he pulled good grades and was successful

at USM. For his junior year, he decided to transfer to the University of Maine at Orono, for he

had saved up enough money while working in the summer.

At UMO, Bryan continued his studies as a biology major, working hard to get the best

grades he could, for he was very devoted to his studies. It was at UMO where he met some of

greatest friends, because he joined a fraternity during the fall. He gained many great memories

from things that happened at the frat house with his buddies, but says perhaps the best memory is

when, “after having a little bit to drink,” he and his frat buddies went to a local McDonalds.

There, they asked the worker to make a buffalo burger, to which he said “we don’t have any

buffalo.” Bryan starts to chuckle himself as he finishes the story, saying, “So we put the buffalo

head on the table and said ‘Here you go. Now can we have one?’” (B. Speirs 30 Jan ). Tales like

these litter throughout Bryan’s time at UMO, for he was a good person, but he liked to have a

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little fun, too. After his junior year at UMO was complete, he made the decision to transfer back

to USM. “I transferred back because my uncle wanted me to come and work for him, and so I

did it because I knew it would mean a lot to him, and to me,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.). This again

exemplifies how Bryan was dedicated to those around him, and how family truly shaped him. He

raced through his final year of college, and graduated with his Bachelors Degree in Biology from

the University of Southern Maine in the spring of 1976.

Upon his graduation from the University of Southern Maine, Bryan became a member of

the Local Pipe Fitter’s Association, and started an apprenticeship as a pipefitter in Portland,

Maine for National Semiconductor. He eventually grew out of his apprentice status, and became

a certified pipefitter. National Semiconductor left a very good impression on Bryan, and he was

very fond of the time and people there, saying, “ I made lifelong friends. I enjoyed the work.

Working at National Semiconductor was the best, because it was close to home, and it was

interesting work in the pipefitting field. We would use tools that are involved in the making of

chips, and we would install them and run all the piping to them, gas and water, all the dangerous

elements, whatever it was, to run the tools,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.) Bryan worked as a pipe fitter for

30 years, and traveled all over New England due to his work. “Lawrence, Massachusetts, New

Hampshire, Maine, all over,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.) was his reply when asked where he had

worked. But he didn’t mind the commute to far away places, even if it meant driving over two

hours from his Gorham home. “I loved doing what I did for work. I stayed there for so long,

which I think shows that I liked it,” (B. Speirs 27 Feb.), Bryan says with a wry smile, and an

almost reminiscent twinkle in his eye.

Meeting Candie and Growing a Family

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It is said that true love is the soul’s recognition of its counterpart in another, and in July

of 1987, Bryan’s soul recognized his counterpart. That counterpointing soul would be that of a

Ms. Candie Smith, a twenty nine year old, who was a student at USM at the time, from her

hometown of East Millinocket, Maine. They met at a restaurant one night, and were instantly

attracted to one another. When remembering why he was attracted to Candie, Bryan said, “What

drew me to her was her down-to-earthness, sense of humor, and her kind heartedness. And it

didn’t hurt that she was good looking, too,” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.) he adds with a chuckle. As to

what drew Candie to Bryan, she says, “I was twenty nine and single, and he was very tall and

nice looking. I always wanted to date tall people, and that caught my eye,” (Smith).

They began dating, and got to know each other very, very well over the next few years,

and knew that they were in love. They ended up getting married in August of 1992. “We ended

up marrying at the time we did because Mom (Candie) was pregnant with Zach, and we said that

if she was pregnant, we would get married.” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.). It was a small ceremony at their

house, with their close friends and family in attendance, followed by a ceremony at the Racket

and Fitness Center in Westbrook, Maine. Like many aspects of Bryan’s life, it wasn’t a grand

ceremony by any means. As Bryan states, “The ceremony wasn’t all grand or done up or

anything, it was just at our house. But it was nice to have all of our good friends and family

there. Your mother looked beautiful, and it was an amazing day, one I’ll remember forever,” (B.

Speirs 30 Jan.).

At the time of the wedding ceremony, Candie was pregnant with their first son, a boy

who would be given birth to on a special night, December 15th, 1992. Zachary James Speirs was

born on that day, the first child of Candie and Bryan. Candie recounts when Zach was first born,

and how she saw a change in Bryan, saying, “When our first child was born, the fact that he

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turned from wanting to be a dad to when that baby came out, his whole face lit up and its never

gone out. Unbelievable to watch it. Thats when I saw big of a heart he had, that something could

take him over. That’s my favorite memory of Bryan,” (Smith). The young couple worked hard to

put their family in the best position possible, with Bryan working for National and Candie

working as a registered nurse at Maine Medical Center. Bryan changed as a father, stepping it up

in his duties, and growing as an adult. Candie says she remembers just how kind Bryan was as a

father, and how it helped him be not only a better father and husband, but person. “He’s very

caring, very unbelievable father to his kids, and devoted and loving to me, and its all because

he’s so kind hearted and seen the good in things,” (Smith). His excellence at being a father

continued with the birth of the couple’s second son, Elliott Speirs, born in the afternoon of

August 15th, 1995.

Being the Father That He Never Had

As stated earlier, Bryan grew up and lived his whole life not knowing the love of a father,

never had someone there to teach him to throw a ball, swing a bat, shoot a jumper. But from the

moment Zachary James Speirs entered the world, Bryan became “the best father I could be, and

be the father I never had, because I did not want what happened to me to happen to my children,”

(B. Speirs 27 Feb.). Bryan took great care in his children’s early development stages, always

showing them great amounts of love and care, and always being there to hold them if they cried.

When the boys were young, around five or six, and Candie worked late nights at the hospital,

Bryan made sure he and the boys would have a good time. “On Tuesday nights, we’d go to the

Dream Machine arcade in the mall, and dad would show us how it was done in Ski-Ball,” (Z.

Speirs) Zach remembers. On other nights, you could count on Bryan taking the boys through the

Wendy’s drive-through window in his green Ford F:150 pickup truck, ordering a couple of

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cheeseburgers, drinks, and fries, and driving over to the airport. They would sit out in the truck,

and watch as the planes took off and flew in, from various destinations. The boys sat in the

truck, watching the planes, gazing in their awe, as memories were created that would last a

lifetime.

As his children grew older, he began to teach them about sports, something “he seemed

to be an expert in,” (Z. Speirs), said his son Zach. He served as their recreational team coaches in

all of their sports, baseball, basketball, and soccer. As a coach, he tried to teach everyone he

coached to develop their skills and a passion for the sport they played. As a coach, Bryan would

never, ever would favor his own sons.“One thing he never did, was he never showed any

favoritism toward Ell and I. Even if we were the best players on the team, we were treated like

everyone else,” (Z. Speirs). I can attest this as well, and I can remember learning a very

important lesson from my father during a Cal Ripken baseball game. As a ten year old, I had a

very productive year, and was one of the best hitters on our team. However, my dad never let

anyone play the whole game for every game during the season. In a tight game towards the end

of the year, he took me out, causing me to whine and fuss. I can still hear his words ringing

through my ears as he said, “You need to learn patience, you’re not the end-all be-all. You’re just

like everyone else. Your teammates don’t fuss when they don’t play, they cheer you on. Now go

be a good teammate.” His words stung me, and made me realize his words could never be truer,

and from then on, I learned to be a better teammate, and gained a new respect for my dad.

As an instructor in not only sports, but in life, Bryan was always there for his children.

“Whether it was helping us learn a new subject in school, or learning to how to throw a

curveball, he (Bryan) was always there to give guidance to us,” (Z. Speirs). I can remember in

fourth grade, in Mrs. Small’s class, I (Elliott) was given weekly spelling tests, and each week we

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had to memorize fifteen words. I would come home, plop my bag on the kitchen table, and give

the new week’s words to dad, and would recite them for an hour, making sure I got the spelling

precise. Even when I thought I had done enough, he had made me do more, because he knew it

would help, and that trait of perseverance that he, Bryan, has handed down to me has helped me

immensely in my own life so far.

The Diagnosis

In the early summer of 2009, in June, with Elliott on the cusp of becoming a high school

student, and Zach about to embark on the most important year in high school, junior year, the

Speirs family was struck with a great tragedy. Bryan had been experiencing some back pain

while doing work it in the lawn, and went in to get it checked out at the request of his wife, but

he did not think it was anything too serious. It was a moment that Bryan says he will never

forget. “The time I was told I had cancer. It was just a shock, that all I can say. It really changes

your life for a couple of days, and more,” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.). Bryan had officially been

diagnosed with multiple myeloma, an incurable blood cancer. The news shook through the

family. “I will never forget when Dad told us. All I could do was cry. I remember thinking, why

him? Why him?” (Z. Speirs). This reaction was shared very similarly by myself and mother, but

the person hit hardest was Bryan. Immediately, you could see the changes his life had to take on.

As Zach says, “He went from Superman, to needing a cane to walk. It was tough to see,” (Z.

Speirs). Before the diagnosis, he was in great physical shape, never got tired, was always willing

to get up and go. When the diagnosis was made, Bryan was forced to use a cane when walking,

because a spot in his hip was so cancer ridden that it was at risk of breaking at a moments notice.

People throughout the Gorham community saw and were affected by what had happened, for

Bryan was very well known by many in Gorham, and was respected by many.

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For the next seven months, Bryan battled the cancer. He went through chemotherapy,

countless medications and pills, even radiation. In March of 2010, he decided to undergo a

complete stem-cell transplant, a very difficult and straining procedure. For the entire month,

Bryan was forced to stay in the Dana Farber Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, where he

underwent the transplant in order to put the cancer cells into remission. “It was the toughest

month I’ve ever seen him go through,” says Candie. “He battled as hard as he could to make sure

the transplant succeeded, he did whatever needed to be done,” (Smith). Every day that he was in

the hospital, he would be in pain every hour of the day. He had lost his hair due to the radiation

treatment, and could only eat soft foods, due to his great decrease in strength. On any given

night, he could wake up and dry heave, or throw up any food he had managed to consume during

the day. My brother and I went to visit him for a weekend down in Boston, and the image of him

lying in that hospital bed will stay with me forever. He had a black do-rag covering his bald

head, and a surgical mask covering his mouth and nose in an attempt to keep germs away from

him. He was barely able to speak, and when he did, his words were jumbled and usually

incoherent. His arms laid at his sides, for he was too weak to move them upwards. This was not

my father, someone had replaced him with a crippled man, and had taken life away from him.

After the transplant, which proved to be successful, Bryan’s family had to prep their

house in order for it to be suitable for Bryan to live in. They had every room of the house

professionally cleaned, they gave the dog a fresh haircut in order to keep outside germs away,

and everyone inside the house wore plastic gloves and surgical masks to keep germs away. The

next few months of recuperation and recovery were very tough for Bryan, and he never left the

house, but rather was forced to sit in bed or an armchair for twenty four hours a day. He had to

be given piles of pills, mounds of medications, in order for him to stay healthy and stable. As

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time wore on, Bryan began to renew his strength, and began to shed the body that the procedure

left him with. He began to do house care again, something he truly longed for. He was able to

shoot hoops in the driveway again, even if it was only for fifteen minutes. He slowly gained his

life back.

Cancer taught Bryan many things about himself and about life. “I learned to life the life

the the fullest everyday you’re alive... it made me appreciate things more in life,” (B. Speirs 27

Feb.) is how Bryan puts it. Every day that he’s awake, he knows that he is lucky to be alive, and

never takes one single breath for granted. To this day, the cancer is still inside of Bryan, and still

affects him greatly, causing him to be tired much of the time. But he still has one goal remaining.

“I want to beat cancer. I want to be able to say that, ‘Yea, I’ve beaten cancer,’” (B. Speirs 30

Jan.). He keeps battling as hard as he can, giving it his all every day, in hopes to finally conquer

the beast that is cancer.

Life Today

Bryan, now 58, still resides in Gorham with his family, and they have been there for

sixteen years. Zach, the oldest, is currently a sophomore at the United States Naval Academy,

and I, Elliott, a senior in high school. Bryan still continues to be a great father to his two

children, and throughout their sports careers, has never missed a game of theirs, except for when

he was in the hospital for his treatments. Bryan is proud of his children, saying, “I’m most proud

of my kids, because they’re good kids. I think they both have good moral compasses, and it will

take them far, and that they’re hard workers, and will work for what they want,” (B. Speirs 30

Jan.). Although he gives credit to his children for being good kids, Bryan is the one who deserves

credit, along with Candie, for making the boys who they are today, because “I wouldn’t be the

man I am today without Dad there to guide me, and I am blessed for that,” (Z. Speirs).

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Bryan has lived his life to the fullest to this point in life, and when asked if he had any

regrets, he quickly responded, “Nope, I don’t really have any regrets,” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.). His

cancer has taught him to live in the moment, and to not think about the future, because it’s too

uncertain. Just live for the moment you’re in, and make the best of it. Bryan’s definition of

success is “doing what you enjoy and have fun in life,” (B. Speirs 30 Jan.), and by those

standards, it is safe to say Bryan has been a tremendous success. Bryan will always be thought of

as a giving man, a kind man, a great man, which is something he has strived for, and no doubt

has accomplished.

Works Cited

"JFK's Assassination Remembered." Globe Newspaper [Dallas] 23 Nov. 1992: n. pag. Marvel.

Web. 25 Mar. .

Markusen, Bruce. "Talking about Tony Conigliaro." Talking About Tony Conigliaro.

CreateSpace, 17 Feb. 2012. Web. 25 Mar. .

Yastrzemski, Carl, and Gerald Eskenazi. “Yaz: Baseball, The Wall, and Me.” New York:

Doubleday, 1990. Print.

Smith, Candie. Personal Interview. 30 Jan. 2013.

Speirs, Bryan. Personal Interview. 30 Jan. 2013.

Speirs, Bryan. Personal Interview. 27 Feb. 2013.

Speirs, Zachary. Personal Interview. 27 Feb. 2013.

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This paper was outstanding. It was clearly focused, used a variety of sources and, most

importantly portrayed your dad and his struggles in a complex and moving way. I have now read

almost 60 biographies to date, and this is the first one that almost made me cry. If you and your

dad would be willing, I would love to use this as an exemplar for next year. Thanks for sharing

your dad’s story. It is inspirational. I hope you share this with your family.

Kh

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Appendix A

-Interview With Candie Smith

How long have you known Dad?-Met him in July 1987, so 25 1/2 years.

What is one word you would use to describe him?- Wonderful.

What is his best characteristic?- Kindness, he’s very very kind. No he’s probably very honest.

That would be the best word, honest. And he is one of the hardest working people I know. He

will always do the job correctly, and go above and beyond.

What do you admire most about him?- His kind heart- he’s very caring, very unbelievable father

to his kids, and devoted and loving to me, and its all because he’s so kindhearted and seen the

good in things.

When have you seen him overcome hardship or struggle?- March 2010, even back to June 2009

when he was diagnosed with blood cancer. I sat with him when he found out thats what it was.

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He said I just want to see my kids grow up. He’s really fought hard for the past 4 years to do that.

It was the toughest month I’ve ever seen him go through. He battled as hard as he could to make

sure the transplant succeeded, he did whatever needed to be done.

What is your favorite memory of him?- When our first child was born. The fact that he turned

from wanting to be a dad to when that baby came out, his whole face lit up and its never gone

out. Unbelievable to watch it. Thats when I saw big of a heart he had, that something could take

him over. That’s my favorite memory of Bryan.

What are you most appreciative of Dad for?-Loving me no matter what.

What drew you to Dad as a person?-I was 29 and single, and he was very tall and nice looking. I

always wanted to date tall people, and that caught my eye.

What are some flaws Dad has?-He just looks down as far as his nose, not down the road like a

woman does.

What sort of activities do you like to do the most with Dad?- I love to look for houses with him.

And dream about what we can get, dream about a house, or something we’d like to have. I like to

do a lot of things with him, like amusement park and go down the rides and slides with him. I

like being able to go see sporting events with him. The best thing is just to go for rides, and

relax, and enjoy each others company.

What has he helped you or changed you in your life?- I’d have to say that I wasn’t always gonna

be able to do it just my way- I’m particular on how I like things done, but I’ve learned to

compromise and give up how I like to do things. He’s one person that can make me do things

somebody else’s way.

Interview With Bryan Speirs Number 1- January 30th 2013

What is one word you would use to describe yourself?

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Reliable and Honest

What city were you born in? Describe your childhood home and where it was.

Portland. Lots of laughter and fun we didn’t have much but we made do with what we had. We

made fun for ourselves.

How was your family?

We all loved each other, but we were all super competitive, especially in sports. We all wanted to

outdo the other. Obviously I was the best haha.

Where did you grow up and what was it like there?

I grew up in Portland, Maine It was a good time to live there, things were simpler, we could go

anywhere, and walk anywhere, with our dog with us, it was a good time to grow up in.

Where would you go?

Most of the time I hung out in North Deering. We would go to different ball fields and play

whatever sport was in season.

What did you enjoy doing as a child? What was your favorite outdoor activity?

In the summer, my grandparents had a camp on the lake, and when I wasn’t there we were

playing pickup athletic events.

Did you attend church or religious services?

What were your earliest memories? Up until sixth grade, but I never liked them and what was

said.

Earliest memories?

Just being at the lake with all my cousins and relatives having fun.

Where did your father work? What is your strongest image of your father?

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My father died when I was 3. I have absolutely no memory of my father, I can’t remember what

he looked like, nothing.

Did your mother have a job? What is your favorite memory of her?

Grammy was a hard worker, I can never remember her missing a day of work, thats what I

remember stood out about her. She worked for a bonding company. My favorite memory of her

was when she got to retire and move to FL, and enjoy her life after working hard.

Describe your grandparents and what did you enjoy the most about them?

Speirs where i got to know later in life, they lived in FL for a long time, and the lake at the

summer. Family was always important to them, and Saturday night we had beans and dogs at the

lake, they loved people. I didn’t know my mother’s dad, he died when I was 8-10. My mother’s

mother was typical of the generation- she didn’t work, she just enjoyed her family. I enjoyed

being able to spend time with them and learning about them.

Who were some of your friends growing up and did your parents like them?

Mainly, they were Steve Strand, pete Wilkinson, Tony Garton, Paul Davidson. My mom liked

my friends, and they always came over.

Did your friends ever get you in trouble when you were younger?

Not too seriously, not really. We liked to play sports, play pinball, and loved going bowling.

What were some of your chores and did you get and allowance?

Clean my room, vacuum, springtime was window washing and mowing the lawn, and taking the

trash out, had to shovel snow. And NO allowance. We’d shovel others snow to earn money.

How old were you when you went on your first date? Where did you go?

I’d say a middle school dance, but that didn’t count. I was probably 18, but can’t remember

where it was.

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What were some of your first jobs? How much did you make?

I would shovel snow for others, to make money, that was probably 6th grade. Made a couple

bucks a driveway, and spent the money on baseball cards and soda pop.

What did you like to do in your free time? What do you do now?

Play sports. Now I like to surf the internet and watch sports.

What were some of the crazy fads you or your friends went through?

Bell bottom pants, paisley shirts, long hair, thats pretty much it.

Did you admire a famous person? What made them admirable?

Not really, but my favorite baseball player was Tony Conigliaro. I was one of his biggest fans. I

can remember the day he got hit. The place went dead silent, everyone was in shock.

What mischievous prank did you pull on someone and how did it affect you?

I pulled many pranks, but the best had to be when me and my frat buddies, after having a little bit

to drink, went to Mickey D’s with a Buffalo head from the frat house. We asked the worker to

make a buffalo burger, to which he said ‘we don’t have any buffalo.’ So we put the buffalo head

on the table and said ‘Here you go. Now can we have one?’

What were your family finances like growing up and how did that affect you?

We were a lot like every other family during that time, we didn’t have any money and no one

else did, we didn’t miss anything. We just needed a bicycle and baseball glove.

How did you meet your husband or wife and what drew you to him/her?

I met her at a restaurant, bar-restaurant, and what drew me to her was her down-to-earthness,

sense of humor, and her kind heartedness. And it didn’t hurt that she was good looking, too.

Haha. We dated for a while, and fell in love. We ended up marrying at the time we did because

Mom was pregnant with Zach, and we said that if she was pregnant, we would get married. The

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ceremony wasn’t all grand or done up or anything, it was just at our house. But it was nice to

have all of our good friends and family there. Your mother looked beautiful, and it was an

amazing day, one I’ll remember forever.

What are some of your fondest memories with your husband/wife?

Going to theme parks down in Florida and having fun, lying out by the pool in Florida, relaxing

in the sun, and being carefree.

What are some favorites? ( color, food, ice cream, book, movie, song, sport, etc)

Color is blue. My favorite meal would probably be barbecue chicken. A Sunday after church

service barbecue chicken dinner. My favorite ice cream is definitely Edy’s Double Fudge

Brownie. I like any thriller novel, but not one in particular, no. My favorite artist or band would

have to be the Beatles and favorite song is “Hey Jude.” My favorite sporting event to see was

watching the Giants win their first Super Bowl in 1986. The event I partook in was the State

softball championship. My favorite movie is Cool Hand Luke, and my actor will be Paul

Newman, he was a good actor.

Is there something you wish you could do over again?

Nope, I don’t really have any regrets.

What things do you find yourself doing that you said you'd "never" do.

I don’t think I ever said I wouldn’t do anything, so nope.

Tell me about a memorable moment in your life; a time you will never forget.

The time I was told I had cancer. It was just a shock, that all I can say. It really changes your life

for a couple of days, and more. It changed me because it made me appreciate things more in life.

What are some of the changes in our society that you have seen in your lifetime?

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I think in society today, work ethic has changed. I think its just taken for granted now. Kids

aren’t willing to work as hard as they used to for things.

What great historical events you have experienced in your lifetime?

Vividly remember the man walking on the moon, JKF assassination, Red Sox winning the World

Series, Giants winning a Super Bowl, MLK assassination, Robert Kennedy assassination. I

remember the JFK assassination, and how in school and around town, everyone was in shock,

and no one had really come to the realization of what happened. It was all in disarray.

What is something that you are really proud of and why?

I’m most proud of my kids, because they’re good kids. I think they both have good moral

compasses, and it will take them far, and that they’re hard workers, and will work for what they

want. But I can still out shoot my sons in a free throw contest.

What are the goals you are still working toward?

I want to beat cancer. I want to be able to say that, “Yea, I’ve beaten cancer.”

When people look back at your life, how do you want to be remembered?

I guess as a nice person who was willing to help those in need.

Define success.

Success would be doing what you enjoy and have fun in life.

What would be a good title for your life story?

“I’m Still Here” haha.

Interview With Bryan Speirs Number 2- February 27th, 2013

What did you want to be when you grew up?

I wanted to play for the Boston Red Sox, because they were my favorite team, and I wanted to

play the outfield because that’s where all my favorite players played.

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Where did you go to college?

I went to USM for my first 2 years, then transferred to UMaine Orono for a year, then back to

USM for my final year. I transferred back because my uncle wanted me to come and work for

him, and so I did it because I knew it would mean a lot to him, and to me. I started in fall 1972. I

didn’t have a choice of where I was going to school. My mom said ‘This is where you’re going,

it’s all I can afford.”

What are some of your most memorable memories from college?

At USM I had a lot of good classes, but my favorite part was playing basketball every day. I

remember I would go to class in the morning, then bust my butt down to the gym and play pick

up with any body there. There were some really talented guys there, some on the USM team, and

some who had great high school careers .At Orono, I lived in a fraternity, and made some good,

life long friends.

What did you go to college for?

I originally started as a math major, and switched to biology halfway through my second year.

What did you do when you graduated from college?

Worked construction, with a bunch of different companies.

What job did you hold after college?

Worked in the plumbers and pipe fitter’s local, and worked there ever since. I really enjoyed it.

What were some memories?

Again, worked with great people, made lifelong friends.

Did you like what you did for work?

I loved doing what I did for work. I stayed there for so long, which I think shows that I liked it,

haha.

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How long did you work there?

30 years. I worked all over new England, really. Lawrence, Mass., New Hampshire, Maine, all

over.

What was the best job you ever had?

Working at National Semiconductor was the best, because it was close to home, and it was

interesting work in the pipefitting field. We would use tools that are involved in the making of

chips, and we would install them and run all the piping to them, gas and water, all the dangerous

elements, whatever it was, to run the tools.

What is the hardest part about having your cancer?

Knowing I will never be able to see my grandkids, and I won’t be able to spend a whole lot more

time with my kids and my wife.

How have you bounced back since having your diagnosis?

I learned to life the life the the fullest everyday you’re alive.

How did not have a father impact you?

Well, I grew up without someone to teach me to throw a ball, or swing a bat, or shoot a jumper. I

never really had that. So when Zach was born, I knew I wanted to be the best father I could be,

and be the father I never had, because I did not want what happened to me to happen to my

children.

Interview With Zachary Speirs- February 27th, 2013

What are some memories of dad that make him a great father?

On Tuesday nights, we’d go to the Dream Machine arcade in the mall, and dad would show us

how it was done in Ski-Ball

How was he as a coach?

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Well, sports was something he seemed to be an expert in, so that definitely helped him be a great

coach. One thing he never did, was he never showed any favoritism toward Ell and I. Even if we

were the best players on the team, we were treated like everyone else.

How did he help you outside of school?

Whether it was helping us learn a new subject in school, or learning to how to throw a curveball,

he was always there to give guidance to us.

Tell me about when you found out Bryan had cancer?

I will never forget when Dad told us. All I could do was cry. I remember thinking, why him?

Why him? After the diagnosis, he went from Superman, to needing a cane to walk. It was tough

to see.