Q: As you are the moderator for the history fair, the Schooltimes Online Magazine would like to ask you about your family history.

A: Way back, my grandfather and grandmother came from England in the late 1800s. They eventually arrived in Springville, Ontario Canada, which is about 40 miles west of Niagra Falls. They were farmers. My mother’s mother she [her mother] was a sophomore in high school, so she had to quit school and work in the tobacco fields. My father’s mother came from Ireland, probably in the 1890s. So I am 25 percent Irish, 50 percent English and 25 percent French.

Q: So the French ancestry is where the LaFortune name comes from?

A: Yes, it is.

Q: Well, how did you become interested in history?

A: I’ve always liked to read history. I always liked the stories that the teachers told. I had two very good history teachers in high school that made it fun, interesting and enjoyable. I’m not very good at math or science, so I had to choose. I didn’t want to be a P.E. teacher, so that’s why.

Q: So by elimination.

A: Right.

Q: You mentioned enjoying the interesting stories your high school history teachers told you, and it calls to mind the stories you tell in history class, such as your experiences in the Vietnam War. Did this experience in a completely different and ancient culture have an influence on becoming a history teacher?

A: I share a lot of experiences that happened, that’s true. It certainly helped me grow up. And it helped me make a good decision that when I got out of the army I wanted to be serious about my studies, and I wanted to be serious about finding a teaching job. It was a maturation moment.

Q: So the army gave you bearing and helped you mature.

A: It helped me become interested in my history. Before, I wasn’t sure, but once I left Vietnam and the army, I was able to use the G.I. bill to finish school. I was then able to use this money to get my masters, teaching credentials and then buy a house. It really pushed me to become an adult.