Vanessa: Never in a million years did I imagine I would be delivering this speech. But such is life. There are certainly answers for such incomprehensible circumstances. And I am ok with knowing that I will probably never get those answers in this lifetime. Where do I even begin to talk about the most wonderful soul a family could be Read more...

Jonas Salk was born in New York City to Daniel and Dora (née Press) Salk. His parents were Jewish; Daniel was born in New Jersey to immigrant parents and Dora, who was born in Minsk, emigrated when she was twelve. Salk’s parents did not receive extensive formal education. Jonas had two younger brothers, Herman and Lee, a renowned child psychologist. Read more...

Wilson grew up in the American South, mainly in Augusta, Georgia, during the Civil War and Reconstruction. After earning a Ph.D. in political science from Johns Hopkins University, Wilson taught at various colleges before becoming the president of Princeton University and a spokesman for progressivism in higher education. As governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913, Wilson broke with Read more...