See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Jacques Cousteau Story.
Life Lesson #62 – Think Before You Act.
Mr. and Mrs. Ballard were always HELPING and encouraging their son, Robert. He wanted to be an underwater explorer when he grew up, and to his surprise, when he told his mom and dad, they didn’t laugh! Instead, they said, “Maybe you need to become an oceanographer.” They actually encouraged him to live his dream.
Well, young Robert did start living his dream. In school, he studied hard in all his subjects, especially science. He learned all he could about undersea life, and sunken ships, and underwater land formations.
When Robert grew up, he became an officer in the Navy, and after that, he became an explorer. In 1985, Robert Ballard and his HELPERS designed a special submarine that would take a crew over 12-thousand feet below the surface of the ocean. That’s over 2-miles straight down! With that special submarine, he was able to find the most famous shipwreck of the twentieth century – the R.M.S. Titanic. He has also made many other discoveries.
But Dr. Ballard is more than an explorer. He is a teacher, and he has created a program for fourth graders all the way through 9th graders to learn about the science of ocean exploration. He also spends a lot of time visiting students in schools all over America and teaching them to live their dreams just as he has done.
Robert Ballard has not only lived his dream… in the process, he has become a HERO!
– Jim Lord