He wears one each day. It has been a part of his political campaigns. It even appears on his website. But Gary didn’t always wear a carnation. The tradition began one day in 1968 when as a teacher at Shimer Junior High School in Jamaica when he arrived to work early. He stopped at a local florist and picked out a white carnation. He then slipped the flower into his lapel. When his students arrived for the start of classes, they greeted Ackerman with a stream of “Happy Birthday” and “Happy Anniversary” sentiments. It’s neither,” Ackerman talk his students-leading them to ask “why” he was wearing the flower. “Why not,” Ackerman replied. The kids came back with “Because (you) only wear a flower on special days.” Ackerman said he then told the students that “every day is a special day,” and closed his lesson plan book. The group spent the rest of the day talking about what makes people “feel good” or “special.” Ackerman has been wearing a fresh carnation every day, ever since that day in 1968. “That’s 35 years,” he said. And that’s 12,775 carnations to mark 12,775 special days. “Not too shabby, huh,” he said. |
