One of the most unique aspects of my childhood was growing up knowing all my grandparents and almost all of my great-grandparents.  My last two grandmothers died recently.

Thus, I not only knew my parents, (the people who were in-charge of ME), but I also knew the people who were in-charge of my parents, my grandparents, AND EVEN BETTER, the people who were in-charge of the people in-charge of my parents, my Great-Grandparents.

This understanding of vertical power proved quite useful, for a young producer-in-training. Many deals for extra banana popcicles were negotiated, because of it.

But moreover, it gave me a great grounding in who I was and where I came from; Russia, England, France, Holland, Ireland, Germany, Lithuania, a few others and even New Jersey...  

As this image indicates, from each of these individuals I picked what I admired most about them and tried to bring it into my personality – with more and less success.