Kaitlyn Rebecca Stover

 

Katy Stover winner of The Agoura Hills

 Chamber of Commerce Award

for Outstanding Student of the Year

 

 

    Kaitlyn Rebecca Stover was born on October 11th, 1990 at Cedar’s Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles.  Like everything she does, Katy arrived early and delivered easy. Katy Stover showed promise and a sense of determination at a very early age.  She was recognized very early on as a gifted child and fulfills that promise today.

 

    At the age of nine, while attending the 32nd Street magnet school on the USC campus, United Airlines’ Believer’s Program, awarded Katy a full scholarship to the college of her choice.  Naturally she wants to go to Harvard, a great school and in close proximity to her many east coast cousins.

 

     While in the 4th grade, at 32nd Street School, Katy’s natural talent for speaking backwards was discovered by her father.  During one of their playful, tutorial sessions, John Stover teasingly asked his daughter what racecar was backwards.  Without missing a beat, Katy replied, “It’s racecar, Daddy!”  99.9% of people asked this question do not recognize that racecar is a palindrome; spelled the same backwards and forwards.  Upon further questioning, Katy revealed that she had made up her own language, all by the age of eight and a star was born.  Katy has made numerous appearances on the Mark and Brian Radio Show, The Robby Russell Show, No Fences on NWEZ and has been contacted by the Tonight Show.  It is a remarkable talent and leaves people breathless wherever she goes.

 

    Upon graduation, with honors, from A.E. Wright Middle School in June 2004, Katy was awarded with the regional Chamber of Commerce “Outstanding Student of the Year” Award.  An annual prize awarded for civic, cultural and academic excellence.  Her parents, John Stover and Joni Samuels Margolin are very proud of this remarkable child.

 

     Katy was a cheerleader at Agoura High School being the principle flyer.  In January 2006, Katy was accepted to Charminade Preparatory School where she excelled in academics. She maintained her straight A average and as proud as her father is of her intellect and beauty, he is most proud of her oversized humanity and giant heart.

 

     In Sept 2008 Katy was off to the University of California, Santa Barbara where she maintained her 4.0 averages.  In January of 2011 she left for Paris to study at Sciences PO, the esteemed university, receiving a full scholarship.

 

    In June of 2012 Katy Stover leaves for Washington DC to teach for the Bill Gates sponsored Teach for America.   Katy will teach math to underprivileged inner city high school students.

 

    For further information on Katy, write to Stover.Kaitlyn@gmail.com.

 

   Herein is a story from The Road Runner / An American Odyssey concerning Katy, her relationship with her father and her Native American heritage.

 

15.
Two Hawks

      Here’s one of my favorite stories about Katy...
     
      About a year ago, when she was six, I took her into the Angeles National Forest.  We had one of our weeks together, so I took her hiking.
 

   We went to one of my favorite spots in Orange County’s Silverado Canyon.  We were driving down a lonely dirt road, the sunroof of my car open.  We stopped for a moment and looked up to the sky.  At that moment a pair of hawks crossed their paths less than ten feet above our heads.  “Katy, did you see that?”  I asked. 
 

     Her six-year-old mind quicker than mine, “Get the camera, Daddy!” 
 

      We grabbed the camera and ran out on a ridge, but it was too late.  The two hawks were onto their next thermal.  “You don’t see that very often,” I told her.  “That was very special.”  She nodded her little wide-eyed head.
 

     Later, we were hiking up a great rushing stream.  We jumped from rock to rock, climbing, always climbing.  We made our way up the path of the mountain brook for an hour or so.  At one point, we had reached a beautiful gladded set of pools.  The water gurgled past us on its way to the Pacific.  I stopped and sat on one of the smooth rocks.  It was a heavenly setting.  My little girl came over to me and sat on my lap.  “This is great, Daddy!”  She told me.  It was a perfect moment.
 

     Sensing her wonderment, I said to her...  “OK Honey, it is time for me to give you your Indian name.”  (She was aware of our Indian heritage.)
 

      “Yeah!” she said, “What is it, Daddy?  What is it?”  I didn’t have a clue what to call her.  I knew it would come to me.  I began stalling. 
 

      “What is it Daddy, what is it?” she repeated.  “Is it Little Dove, Daddy, is it Little Dove?”  She was almost out of breath.
 

      “No, it’s not Little Dove,” I told her. 
 

      “Is it Little Elk, Daddy, is it Little Elk?” 
 

      “Nope, not Little Elk.”  She was all of thirty-five pounds at the time, always a tiny child. 
 

      “It’s Little Something, isn’t it Daddy, Little Something!”  She was painfully aware of her diminutive size.  I had to try to change her perception of herself; meanwhile I am still trying to come up with something.  “What is it Daddy, tell me, what is it?”  Just then, at the moment, the Great Spirit filled me and I knew what her Indian name was destined to be.
 

      With great fanfare, I threw up my arms, crossing them at the wrists, as if two birds were flapping their great wings and said...  “Two Hawks!  Your Indian name shall be, (pause...) Two Hawks.”  Flapping my arms, signifying two hawks flying into the sun.
 

      “Yeah!” she whispered, “Two Hawks.”  It was my finest moment.  She truly has the heart of a great warrior.  Now she has her name.
 

      But she wasn’t through.  “What’s yours Daddy, what’s yours?”  I hadn’t anticipated this, my mind searching for the correct answer.  Without thinking, pressed for time, needing to preserve this great moment, I replied...  “Running Wolf.”  It just came out.  The Great Spirit was still within me.
 

      If I had time to sit and ponder my Indian name.  I would never have picked Running Wolf.  The more I thought about it, the more sense it made to me.  I was always running here or there.  A wolf is an apt symbol for my life.  Wild, independent, he can be either a lone animal or he runs with a pack.  I liked it.  I would keep this name, this Indian name.  I was Running Wolf.
 

     The night Katy was born was an eventful one.  I took the Lamaze classes.  I went to every doctor’s appointment.  I watched her develop on the ultra sound screen.  I picked out her name, Katy, after my mother’s mother.  Katy Dunne, of Galway Bay, Ireland.  Rebecca was for Jodi’s grandmother, Rebecca Copeland.
 

     One thing I remember from Lamaze was...  “If this is your first child, do not become alarmed, you have hours before delivery, don’t panic.”  I would use this information.  After all, I was a child of chaos.  I had seen births before.  Piece of cake.
 

      It was a Wednesday night.  Katy wasn’t due for three weeks.  I had settled into my routine.  Making dinner, later we would watch TV.  Soon, we would play music, putting the speakers against Jodi’s swollen tummy, to soothe our little kicking baby.  We did this every evening.
 

      Jodi walked into the kitchen.  For an alarmist, she was pretty calm.  “John,” she announced, “my water broke.”  And sure enough, it had.  There was a giant puddle under her bearing legs.
 

      It took me a moment to recognize just what she was telling me.  “But, she’s not due for three more weeks.”  Katy was due on Halloween.  Today was only October 10th.
 

      “Look at the floor, John, I’m going to have this baby, now are you going to drive me to the hospital, or what?”  She was as calm as a Texas town, just before the twister hits.
 

      I knew I had time.  I remained steady.  I went into the bedroom and set the VCR.  (Wonder Years was starting in two hours.)  I packed a bag, made a few phone calls.  Jodi sat by the door, dripping water, waiting for me.  “C’mon,” I said, “I’m ready.”  We drove to Cedars Sinai Hospital, 
 

     Our doctor was called.  She arrived shortly after we did.  I made more calls.  Jodi waited in Pre Op.  At the first twinge of discomfort, Jodi asked for her epidural.  I later joked that she had sat on one of the mattress buttons and screamed “epidural!”  She was not in discomfort for long.
 

      Katy would be born within six hours.  Like her father, Katy was impatient, ready to get on with this business of life.  She came early.  She delivered easily.  She weighed four and one half lbs. Very small.
 

       I stood beneath Jodi’s outstretched legs and watched my child come into this world.  I would be the first to hold her, the one to cut the cord.  For the second time in my stunted emotional life, I cried.  I held my baby and I cried.  I didn’t care who was watching.  I was overwhelmed.  I had evolved.  I had waited my entire life for this moment.  “She’s so beautiful!”  I blubbered to Jodi.  Jodi could only smile.   
 

      We brought her home two days later.  There were no complications.  She was small, that was all.  A beautiful little mirror of the two of us.  A gift of my sobriety.

 

---

Katy's Bat Mitzvah Speech (given by her proud non-Jewish Daddy)

 

Hello Everyone

 

Thank you for coming. When I was preparing my speech, I asked Joni what she thought I should talk about…Joni replied,

 

“About two minutes!”

 

It is indeed an honor and a pleasure to be here today to talk about my daughter, Katy Rebecca Stover. Katy was named for two remarkable women; my grandmother, Katy Dunne from Galway Bay, Ireland and Joni's grandmother, Rebecca. And as is so often the case, two remarkable halves have made up one incredible whole, my beautiful daughter Katy.

 

It was almost fourteen years ago when Joni came to me and said “John. “I'm ready to have this baby.” And even thought Katy was three weeks early, I drove Joni to Cedars to bring this beautiful child into our lives and folks I am here to tell you, our lives would never be the same.

 

Like everything she does, Katy arrived early and without complications, a tradition she carries on to this day. On that wondrous day, as I watched my little girl come into this world, I was overcome with an awe and a gratitude, that I can not possibly express to you, unless you have had a child of your own. I cried on that momentous day, a momentous day much like today, a day when my little girl came forth to assume her rightful place in the world. And as she did on that earlier day, I have no doubt that Katy will acquit herself here today with dignity and ease and grace

 

To say that Katy is precocious is like saying God is powerful or Moses had leadership quality. To admit that Katy is beautiful is like saying the Mona Lisa is a decent painting. To speak of Katy's intelligence is like saying that Einstein had a few good theories. And to mention Katy's humanity is like saying that the Red Sox will beat the Yankees this year. These things are evident and go without saying.

 

(Big laugh here, but the Red Sox did go on to win the World Series that year)

 

In just under fourteen years I have watched my little girl grow from a sweet little baby, to a curious young girl, to a beautiful, intelligent, self-assured young lady. While it may be true that Katy thinks she is smarter than her old Dad, it is also true that this old Dad is so darn proud of her; not only on this day but every day of my life, that if I never accomplish another thing, being a father to Katy is more than enough to justify my place on earth. It is indeed an honor and a privilege to stand before you today and tell you what a beautiful, wonderful and lovable person Katy is. But you already know that.

 

Hilary Clinton reminded us, “It takes a village to raise a child.” But in today's modern world, it also takes a satellite group of people. And I would like to speak to some of those.

 

First there was Maria; Katy's nanny who taught her love and patience.

 

Then we have Katy's friends and neighbors, who showed her how to laugh, how to play and instilled in her a love of games and competition.

 

I would especially like to thank Felise, Larry, Cindy and Alan Epstein who gave her so much more than love.  We will always be grateful to the 32nd Street School; for they gave her knowledge, hope and a future.

 

A.E. Wright Middle School, who had the wisdom to present here with a special award for citizenship, service and scholarship, above and beyond.

 

As for myself, hopefully I taught her to love books and appreciate music and art. Not to look away when we see someone less fortunate than ourselves and to meet any difficult challenges with hope and optimism.

 

I also wish to thank Haley and Alan Margolin who shared the gift of sibling love and saved her from the loneliness of being an only child.

 

And finally, I would like to thank Joni and Bill who gave her guidance, love, a sense of stability and that rarest of traits; common sense.

 

In closing, I would like to thank God, this blessed congregation and especially all the Margolins for allowing me to share this great day with all of you.

 

I would also like to thank all of you for being here and bringing love and best wishes for these two great young ladies.

 

But foremost and most importantly, I would like to thank my daughter, Katy Rebecca Stover for showing me how to live with dignity, how to love unconditionally and on a daily basis, how to be a better person. I love you ytaK, we all love you.

 

Love,

Daddy