Glenn Doman: An Unreasonable Man
(Adapted from a speech delivered by Marlowe Doman at Glenn Doman’s memorial service, September 2013)
Several years ago, I read a quote by George Barnard Shaw, that reminded me immediately of my grandfather. It reads:
“The reasonable man adapts himself to the world; the unreasonable one persists in trying to adapt the world to himself. Therefore, all progress depends on the unreasonable man.”
My grandfather was a very unreasonable man. Anyone who ever had to sit with him in traffic learned this. He didn’t wait around for anything and he persisted all his life in trying to change the world where he saw that change was needed.
His unreasonableness coupled with his tireless passion to change things for the better could be frustrating to some; particularly for those who wanted to “go along to get along”. However, his unrelenting drive was absolutely essential when he led 200 soldiers through the snowy Ardennes Forest during the Battle of the Bulge and when he fought, along with his staff and parents, against time to save the lives of brain-injured children.
My grandfather’s unreasonableness drove him to challenge the conventional wisdom of his day and speak truth to power. He knew, as many geniuses do, that conventional wisdom is usually wrong but is rarely challenged.
Moreover, it is only challenged openly by the bravest and most unreasonable among us. His willingness to teach truths and challenge conventional lies earned him the love and respect of brain-injured children and their families from all around the world. However, it also meant that he received the antagonism of those whose prestige and power were threatened by his message. For that, he had to dodge many bullets, both literally from the Nazi army and figuratively here at home. And I don’t think many of us would have blamed him if he had quieted down or done something else – but that wasn’t Glenn J. Doman.
Due to his courage, he managed to rack up a list of accomplishments that would take most people several lifetimes to achieve. Undoubtedly, the best decision he made was to convince Katie Doman to marry him. Also, she was a huge improvement over his first wife, Hazel!
The truth is that I am incredibly lucky to be Glenn J. Doman’s grandson. He taught me many life lessons. If I listed all of them it would be too long for a blog post so instead, I listed a few of my favorites below:
He taught me that no matter how informal a gathering is, you will always look good in a suit.
He taught me that “Beer is for boys, wine is for men, and brandy is for heroes.”
He taught me, “The brain grows by use.”
He taught me that “Mothers are the best teachers for their children.”
He taught me that “Parents are not the problem in the world of kids; they are the answer.”
He taught me to “never leave the wounded behind.”
He taught me, “He’s not heavy – he’s my brother.”
He taught me, “Blessed is he who loves what he does, for he will never have to work a day in his life.”
Since the day my grandfather passed away, people have told me they are sorry for his passing. While these sentiments were deeply appreciated, my response has always been that there is nothing to be sorry about. He lived a long and wonderful life doing exactly what he loved, with the people that he loved. Every single day of it, and at the end, that is all anyone can ever ask for.