Lyle Micheli and Amanda Micheli
Recorded
May 18, 2017
39:45 minutes
0:00 / 0:00
Id:
sfb003957
Description
Lyle Micheli (76) talks to his daughter Amanda Micheli (44) about his extended family, his childhood in Illinois, and his path to Harvard College and Harvard Medical School.Subject Log / Time Code
LM tells the immigration stories of his families. His paternal grandfather was from Italy and his maternal grandfather was from Spain; both sides settled in Illinois.
LM felt like his family tried to preserve their different cultures, especially by being involved in saint festivals, living in ethnic neighborhoods, and speaking their native languages actively.
LM was closer to his maternal, Spanish side of the family, especially while his father was away serving in WWII. His remembers his Spanish grandmother smoking cigars.
LM's mother died when he was 6 years old. He recalls that she had a "Spanish temper," describing her as a tough lady and a "tiger."
LM's last memory of his mother is her telling him to take care of his younger brother.
LM didn't have specific aspirations, as no one in his family had gone to college before. A teacher at his school, Father Dunstan Morrissey, gave him an application to Harvard and he was accepted on a scholarship.
LM describes sports as the "one passport" for him that allowed him to interact with different social groups at Harvard.
LM remembers visiting Father Dunstan in Big Sur when he was almost done with college. He recommended that LM pursue a career in medicine.
If LM could speak to his descendants, he would emphasize the importance of hard work.
LM thinks that being a physician and the well-being of the patient must always come first, before yourself and your personal life.
LM hopes that the Sports Medicine program he established at Boston Children's Hospital survives and thrives. He thinks sports are extremely important for kids (as they were for him in his own life) and he wants to make sports safer.
Participants
- Lyle Micheli
- Amanda Micheli