My Dear Nono

Hi everyone! (:

Today, I’ll to tell you about the person that I admire: my adored grandfather, Arnoldo Manuel Lecourt Molina. We affectionately say to him ‘Nono’ or ‘Nonito’.  He is the best man I have ever had the joy of knowing. 

I’ll to tell you a bit more about his history. He was born in 1929, in a little town called María Elena, near Antofagasta. His mom, Aida Molina, worked as a librarian in a northern salitre office and his father, Manuel Lecourt, worked in the mines.

The family didn’t have much money.  They were very poor and humble. For this reason, Nono went to study boarding school, so he could finish his studies. His childhood was very lonely and sad. But he took refuge in books, poetry, science and art.

When my grandfather finished school, he went to Santiago to study at the Technical University, Electrical Engineering. Nonito was always the brightest student, with the best marks, always had something to say and was very critical.

In Santiago, he met my grandmother; Arnoldo fell madly in love with her. They had four children and stayed in the capital.

My mom told me that he had a room in the garden of the house, where Nono closed himself to make inventions and experiments. In this place, my grandfather made homemade garnishes, created hygienic towels (not visible in the market), diapers and strange articles for the time.

Nono always wanted to help the most deprived people and who did not know their rights. For many years he worked at the Compañía de Cervecerías Unidas (CCU). In parallel, the country was hit by the dictatorship. Nonito lived it in his own flesh.  For me, it isn’t easy to talk about this, but he was brutally tortured, was a political prisoner who lived to tell it.

But, like her granddaughter, I feel totally proud of him. Arnoldo always dreamed of living in a more just country, so he always defended his ideals. He is like my hero. The most handsome and sincere man I've ever met.

Today, he walks slowly, he doesn’t listen so much and he finds it harder to move. But my grandfather always has a beautiful smile to give away.

I love you, grandapa ♥