History comes alive at Chaparral Middle School in Diamond Bar, California, where Cornelis Greive, an 84-year-old grandfather, has spent more than 1,000 volunteer hours painting murals of Anne Frank, Amelia Earhart, and Albert Einstein.
"Cor has added a lot of color and really brightened up our campus," Principal Ron Thibodeaux said in a statement. "He's a gem." Greive, who started painting at Chaparral in August, has completed about 20 portraits, and typically finishes each piece in about two hours. He said his goal is to make students, staff, and parents proud of Chaparral, and his favorite paintings there are of Abraham Lincoln and Harry Truman. "They have a lot in common," he said. "Both were denied higher education, but they stayed grounded. They never had any money but were always giving to others."
Greive's granddaughter Grace is a sixth grader at Chaparral, and he also painted several murals at her elementary school (Greive says in two years, he plans on taking his brushes and following her to Diamond Bar High School). "I enjoy it here at school," he said. "I'm painting the walls and they let me get away with it."
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
-
5 vengefully funny cartoons about punishing Trump's political enemiesCartoons Artists take on vengeance in a shutdown, the hounds of Pam Bondi, and more
-
Political cartoons for October 18Cartoons Saturday's editorial cartoons include conversion therapy, Russ Vought, and more
-
President Trump: ‘waging war’ on ChicagoTalking Point Federal agents are carrying out ‘increasingly aggressive’ immigration raids – but have sanctuary cities like Chicago brought it on themselves?
-
Hungary’s Krasznahorkai wins Nobel for literatureSpeed Read László Krasznahorkai is the author of acclaimed novels like ‘The Melancholy of Resistance’ and ‘Satantango’
-
Primatologist Jane Goodall dies at 91Speed Read She rose to fame following her groundbreaking field research with chimpanzees
-
Florida erases rainbow crosswalk at Pulse nightclubSpeed Read The colorful crosswalk was outside the former LGBTQ nightclub where 49 people were killed in a 2016 shooting
-
Trump says Smithsonian too focused on slavery's illsSpeed Read The president would prefer the museum to highlight 'success,' 'brightness' and 'the future'
-
Trump to host Kennedy Honors for Kiss, StalloneSpeed Read Actor Sylvester Stallone and the glam-rock band Kiss were among those named as this year's inductees
-
White House seeks to bend Smithsonian to Trump's viewSpeed Read The Smithsonian Institution's 21 museums are under review to ensure their content aligns with the president's interpretation of American history
-
Charlamagne Tha God irks Trump with Epstein talkSpeed Read The radio host said the Jeffrey Epstein scandal could help 'traditional conservatives' take back the Republican Party
-
CBS cancels Colbert's 'Late Show'Speed Read 'The Late Show with Stephen Colbert' is ending next year
