#93: My Grandma - The Co-Founder of My Family

FamilyCultureFounder

Nov 6

Written By Samuel Donner

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Episode Description

How does creating a business relate to creating a family? In this episode, we answer that question by hearing from Dorothy Donner, grandmother to our host and founder, Samuel Donner. Even before Dorothy’s birth, the Donner family was already instilled with an entrepreneurial streak. With inventors, performers, and business owners as her ancestors, we follow Dorothy’s story as she develops her life-long dream of becoming a teacher, meeting her future husband, and later having ten children together. As founder of a legacy that persists to this day, Dorothy shows us that it's never too late to chase after your goals, and re-defines the meaning of purpose.

Show Notes

Family History: Dorothy’s story begins in Franklin Park, Illinois, but her family’s story begins in Poland, long before her birth.
Running A Business: The Donner entrepreneurial legacy begins with running a bakery in Chicago with an iron first.
Inventions: What do egg cartons, a baby carriage, and airplane wheels all have in common?
Hollywood Culture: The arts were highly encouraged within the Donner household, but Dorothy had other dreams.
Meeting Grandpa Donner: A university hallway, light shining through a window, and a handsome guy standing nearby – should she go talk to him?
First Date: Grandpa Donner gives his perspective of when he first met Dorothy and their first date.
Changing Course: Dorothy is faced with a situation that threatens her life-long dream.
Marriage: After a rocky engagement, Dorothy finally becomes Mrs. Donner.
Pregnancy: After an immediate pregnancy, Dorothy learns about the financial responsibilities that accompany forming a family.
Birth: Changing diapers, breastfeeding, making formula, and everything in between – the initiation of Dorothy’s motherhood.
Ten Kids: The rapid growth of the Donner family.
Back To School: How Dorothy earned a degree while raising ten kids.
Losing The Files: After the loss of the remaining audio, Samuel reflects on what might have been.
The Story I Missed: How Dorothy ended up willing her son back to life.
What I Learned: How a weaving quilt of stories led to the creation of a family legacy.