By Jackson Clavier

My grandfather, Keith Whitehead, is a person who inspires me daily. I have learned so much from him, including how to live a life for God, how to grill a tasty hamburger, and how to be a better person.

It is rare to catch him in a bad mood, which is pretty inspiring. He has lived his life in an honest way. He is now retired and plays golf several times each week. He values family over most other things, with the exception of Jesus. He is an elder at our church, and he teaches Sunday school classes for little kids.

One of his simplest and most helpful quotes is, “Just don’t be stupid.” As a teenager, this quote is useful to me on a daily basis. It applies to everything from vaping, to jumping from the top deck of a pontoon boat into shallow water, listening to teachers.

I am lucky to spend a lot of my time with my papaw. I look forward to him inspiring me more in the future — especially as he teaches me how to drive a stick shift.

This story is part of a series of articles from Michael Grindstaff’s Language Arts Class at Elizabethton High School.

Students were asked to write about inspirational people in their lives. The Elizabethton Star is proud to share these with our readers.