I was anxious to meet and talk with a 19-year-old man who willingly dressed up as a Red Hot Rotarian Red Hatter for a recent Armed Services YMCA fundraiser.
Knowing that he currently serves as an intern for our seated 148th District State Representative made the discussion possibilities even more interesting.
Bradley Steven Gifford is not a typical teen — whatever that might be. He was born in 1989 to Wayne and Linda Gifford, long-time Pulaski County residents. From kindergarten through 12th grade he attended parochial schools in St. Robert and Lebanon, earning a high school diploma and a GED.
“Were you a good student,” I asked.
“My grades weren’t at the top of my class,” Brad replied, “but I rarely failed.”
He is a bright young man and my experience as a classroom teacher tells me that he did not apply himself. He did just enough to get by, often engaging in personal creative writing or reading material not pertinent to the teacher’s lesson of the day.
Brad literally caught his breath as he responded to my next question, “Do you like to read?”
“Oh! Love to read,” he said passionately, quickly citing authors Stephen King, Tom Clancy, J.K. Rowling, Edgar Rice Burroughs, J.R.R. Tolkein and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle as favorites.
I sensed that he was just warming up, that he could have listed many more authors and titles had we had the time. Also a reader, I found myself engrossed in literary discussion with this young man.
Brad is currently a full-time legislative intern in Jefferson city. He is not receiving college credit or compensation of any kind for this service. So why does he do it?
“This is good for me,” says Brad.
I told you earlier that he is a bright young man. He is meeting and working with the leadership of our state on a daily basis. The experience is priceless and he knows it.
When the session ends May 16th, Brad plans to remain in Jefferson City, find a paying job and support himself. He feels that he has depended on Mom and Dad long enough.
Brad did contemplate military service, but after making friends with some active duty soldiers, he concluded that the “constant-demand life style” might not suit him, noting that, “At times I’ve been known to have serious issues with authority.”
Family is important to Brad, who has one younger sister and parents who, since he was 4 years old, have opened their home to exchange students from at least five of the seven continents. He says he considers those who have lived in the Gifford home to be brothers and sisters, adding that his parents have literally hundreds of friends close enough to be called family. He claims understanding of diplomacy and success as a negotiator, attributing these skills to his multi-cultural experiences of more than a decade.
Brad has no plans for college just now, but he does have plans. He wants to write.
While there is nothing published by Bradley Steven Gifford and there is no collection of rejection slips just yet, there well may be both of the above in a few short years. “I have at least 40 novels in this head,” says Brad.
Since Brad is bright and creative, I gave him an open-ended opportunity, asking, “What else do you want to tell me?”
“I really enjoy working for the Representative,” was his immediate response. “It’s always entertaining on the chamber floor.”
“Do you have any political aspirations,” I asked.
That answer was adamant and quicker. “None.” He elaborated, saying that if a “two-trillion-dollar salary” was offered, he would have to think at least a week before saying yes. He sees the job of State Representative as an extremely difficult one.
Which brought me back to wondering why he had said yes to the Red Hatter appearance. Turns out that was a deal with his Rotarian mother.
As I said earlier in this column, Brad is not a typical teen. During the 90 minutes that we talked he told me more than once that he’d always been taught to “respect your elders and your betters.” It has been quite some time since I heard that philosophy.
This elder writer predicts much success for Brad and is looking forward to saying, “I knew him when ….”
Virgie Mahan taught high school speech and English before joining the U.S. Air Force as a Public Information Officer. Virgie and her husband Mike came to Missouri after he retired from the Air Force in 1983. She was the Community Relations Officer at Fort Leonard Wood for 13 years until her retirement in 1996 and taught for Drury University as an adjunct faculty member for nearly two decades. In retirement, Virgie continues to volunteer in the community.