Queena Harper
Mr. Alan Jozwiak
Oral Communications
June 19, 2013
Special Occasion Speech

1. Welcome the audience a. Good morning everyone 2. Introduce yourself and the event b. My name is Queena Harper and I’m here today to make a tribute to my grandmother Alene Harper. 3. Introduce the person c. Alene Harper was born September 8, 1932, in Shady Grave, Alabama. She would have been 80 today, but April 7th 2013, she lost her battle with cancer. What was scary was it was sudden, within a month or so that we even had learned about it. What was a blessing was that we were able to be with her through it. d. She has 5 sisters and 1 brother. Alene Harper was known to be a mother to all. She has raised 12 children, 67 grandchildren, 122 great-grandchildren and 3 great great-grandchildren, plus many more. e. She has installed good values in her family members. 4. Explain your connection and appreciation of that person f. I appreciate my grandmother because she has taught me that I can be anything that I want to be and I can go anywhere that I want to go no matter what anyone says or thinks about it. She has taught me to be kind to other people regardless of what they do to me and also that sharing is what life is about. She told me never to give on your goals and go after what you want in life. 5. Describe the qualities and actions of that person that has made them special/deserving of this award/tribute. Be specific. Tell a story g. I remember one day she was on her way to the good will to donate some clothes and shoes and she had seen this guy standing on the side of the road with a sign and that said “homeless will work for food, and shelter.” Well, she gave the man the things she was donating and she let him stay in her little house that was located in her back yard. She feed him, helped him get a job and helped him find his own apartment. 6. Describe the impact the person has made on others/society/you. Again, be specific. h. She has left me with the notion that you have to be kind to one another and to help out as many people as you can, it always come back tenfold. I never actually knew what that meant until I gave my last to someone. 7. Have a concluding sentence of thanks/appreciation/gratitude i. If it wasn’t for my grandmother, I wouldn’t be the person that I am to today. I provide for my children the best way I can and try to teach them good values that has been passed down from generation to generation. j. One thing she did without a doubt is leave an incredible impression on the women in her life. Her strength and sense of self values runs deep. While she was a tough woman on the outside, she was full of passion beneath. I feel thankful to have known her as I did and miss her dearly