Fifth Grade
Worksheets
Greg Mortenson: International Peacemaker and Humanitarian, Part 3
Greg climbed into the wooden box. He pulled himself across the 350 feet of cable. One hundred feet below him was the river. It seemed like the whole town of Korphe was waiting for him on the other side. Haji Ali stood with them, waiting to see his friend once more.
Greg Mortenson was ready to build a school, but the people of Korphe were not ready for a school yet. They told Greg what they needed was a bridge. How would they transport the materials across the deep gorge? He reluctantly realized they were right. Greg stayed in Korphe until he knew what he was going to need to build the bridge.
When he returned home, Greg reluctantly asked Jean Hoerni for an additional ten thousand dollars for the bridge. Hoerni kindly agreed. He asked only that the bridge be built quickly so the school could be finished, and when it was, he asked Greg to bring him a photo.
It took the villagers ten weeks to build the bridge. It was finished in August 1995. Before he left for the winter, Greg dug tent pegs into the field where the school was to be built. He promised to return the next summer to help them begin the school.
That September, Greg met the woman who would be his wife at an American Himalayan Foundation dinner given in honor of Sir Edmund Hillary, the first white man known to climb to the top of Mount Everest. Her name was Tara Bishop. He wasted no time in proposing to Tara. They were married six days after the dinner. His K-2 climbing partner, George McCown, also donated a year's salary so Greg wouldn't have to worry about supporting himself. Greg felt he had everything he needed. Now he could concentrate on the plans for building his school in Korphe.
