Parents tell how they kept grad gift a secret for 13 years

"There's really no words," said Brenna Martin of book signed by every teacher and coach

Video: Parents give grad gift 13 years in the making

Closed captioning of: Parents give grad gift 13 years in the making

Advertise | AdChoices

>> your parents get you for your high school graduation? when their daughter brenna was five years old, brian and martin decided they would have each of her teachers write a comment to her in a copy of dr. seuss's "oh, the places you'll go." brenna was so happy with her gift she posted online. to date 20 million people viewed her blog. brenna martin is here with us exclusively along with her mom and dad . good morning to all of you. i love this idea. what a great story. tell me, where did you get the idea, the inspiration to collect comments from teachers over the years.

>> i'm not that original. an elementary school principal and parent had a copy of the book and wanted a couple of teachers to sign it and me to sign it. i thought, wouldn't that be neat if you expand that and did it over the course of high school .

>> i know this is something a lot of high school graduates get for graduation. when you looked at it, did you think, a book, great. when you opened it, what was your reaction?

>> exactly. at first i thought it was kind of a standard graduation gift and thought it was really sweet. when i first opened it -- my first page is my kindergarten teacher. i haven't talked to my kindergarten teacher since kindergarten. it took me back. when they explained it all and i looked through it, i don't know, there's really no words.

>> that's a gift of a lifetime . do you have favorite passages in there, comments from your teachers.

>> i think one of my favorites, my track coach from middle school who is jamaica. i'm not going to try to read in a jamaica accent.

>> that could be fun.

>> brenna , never stop running in the race of life regardless of the obstacles you face. continue to be that dedicated person that you are and i know you will succeed. it was great coaching you. coach baker.

>> so sweet. many, many over the years just like that. evelyn, i know brenna tweeted shortly after receiving the book. she said, i can't explain how moved i am by all this. somehow they kept it a secret all these years. how in the world did you keep it a secret ? where did you hide it?

>> it was in the top of the walk-in closet. there were times it would get put on a book shelf . one funny story. it stayed in the middle of an envelope. i don't know why. we had tossed it into a book shelf . i actually was cleaning for a change and had her assisting me and was pulling books off and handing them to her. i hit that and it hit me what it was. i thought oh, my gosh. i had to stealthily go and hide it somewhere else.

>> i don't remember this.

>> stayed in my office the last few years.

>> i heard a teacher even misplaced it at one point in time.

>> i didn't hear that story until years later. they said for a while we lost the book but found it, so it's all good.

>> i think so many parents have been so inspired with this. i know your blog had 20 million hits. you were even recognized recently at the university of north carolina asheville .

>> i went to my college orientation . a guy stopped me in the food line and said, i feel like i know you. i said, i don't know you. turns out he read it. that's when it became famous.

>> you must feel special. you have an amazing set of parents. a great example.

>> thank you. i love them so much pr.f

>> great to have you all here.

Show transcript

By Scott Stump

updated 7/9/2012 11:06:16 AM ET

Print
Font:
+
-

A teacher almost lost it one year, and another time it nearly fell right out of a bookshelf and spoiled the surprise. But eventually, a heartwarming high school graduation gift that was 13 years in the making reached its intended recipient.

Stories from

Video: Parents give grad gift 13 years in the making (on this page)

Starting when she was five years old, every one of Brenna Martin's teachers and coaches signed a copy of the Dr. Seuss classic “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!’’ At her graduation from North Johnston High in North Carolina on June 8, Bryan and Evelynn Martin presented the gift to their daughter.

At first she thought it was the standard version of the book, which is a popular graduation present, before realizing it was much more.

“The first page was my kindergarten teacher, and I haven’t talked to my kindergarten teacher since kindergarten so it kind of took me back,’’ Brenna said on TODAY Monday. “When they explained it all and I looked through it...there’s really no words.’’

Story: Her graduation gift from dad: A 13-year labor of love

Brenna tweeted her appreciation, then blogged about it. She posted a link to her blog post on Reddit, where it quickly went viral: Her blog has since received more than 20 million page views. It’s even made her a minor celebrity at the University of North Carolina-Asheville, where she is an incoming freshman.

“A guy stopped me in the food line and said, ‘I feel like I know you,’’’ Brenna told Natalie Morales. “I said, ‘I don’t know you.’ Turns out he was a (Reddit user), too.’’

Her father first came up with the idea when he was an elementary school principal and a parent asked him and some teachers to sign a copy of the book for her child.

“I thought, ‘Wouldn’t that be neat if you expand that and do it over the course of kindergarten and high school?’’’ he said.

Story: Boy, 13, finds mistake on Metropolitan Museum of Art map (of the Byzantine Empire)

The next hurdle was keeping it hidden from their daughter for more than a decade without spoiling the surprise. It spent some time on the top of a walk-in closet, then was wedged in a bookshelf and finally was tucked away for a few years in Bryan’s office. One year, a teacher misplaced it, and another time it nearly fell out of the bookshelf into plain view while Brenna was helping her mother clean up around the house.

“It hit me what it was,’’ Evelyn said. “I thought, ‘Oh my gosh,’ and I had to kind of stealthly go and hide it someplace else so she wouldn’t see it.’’

Advertise | AdChoices

Brenna read aloud one passage from her middle school track coach.

“Brenna, never stop running in the race of life regardless of the obstacles you face,’’ she read. “Continue to be that dedicated person that you are and you will succeed. It was great coaching you, Coach Baker.’’

“Yes the intended effect occurred... I burst out in tears,’’ Brenna wrote on her blog at Imgur.com. “Sitting there reading through this book, there are encouraging and sweet words from every teacher I love and remember through my years in this small town.

“It is astounding to receive something this moving, touching, nostalgic, and thoughtful. I can't express how much I love my Dad for this labor of love.’’