The news these days is often depressing at worst and frustrating at best. It’s easy to get caught up in the spin cycle and let it get us down. Never fear… The News Blender has you covered. Once a week, we feature Something Good and, in return, all you have to do is tell us something good that has happened to you this week, something you are thankful for, a joke, a cute animal story, an inspiring tale of heroics, a Random Act of Kindness… SOMETHING good!
Today’s Something Good is perseverance and making lemonade from lemons.
Lucio Caicedo, born in 1916, has used the Covid 19 lockdown in Columbia to great effect. The retired engineer finally finished his doctoral thesis he had been working on for 30 years.
Lucio got a bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from the National University Colombia, then earned his master’s from the University of Manchester 70 years ago.
He applied to the University of Manchester for their doctoral program when he was 73 and the lockdown gave him the opportunity to finally focus on his research.
Lucio said, “My PhD is about determining the maximum amount of water that can be sustainably taken from a river for energy and other purposes.” A complex 200 year old math problem needed to be solved in order to complete his research and the lockdown gave him the time to do so.
The 104 year old engineer is a little worried about the time it will take for the university to approve his thesis – he told Zenger News that his last submission took 25 months and 170 emails before being approved.
In between earning his master’s and finishing his thesis, Lucio created several important companies that have benefited his community. He has been awarded the Don Juan del Corral Merit of Order in the gold category for his work and contribution to his community.
While Lucio has earned accolades and achieved much in his profession, he says his family is his greatest achievement. He and his late wife, who were married for 67 years, had six children, twelve grandchildren, and six great grandchildren.
Finishing a life’s work while being surrounded by a loving family is something good and is good news for the start of a new week.
Now it’s your turn… Tell me something good.
