Marc Winger, 56 and Evan Winger, 15

photography by Teri Montoya

"He's Always there for Me..."
Marc "Evan has a great sense of responsibility and innately knows what's right or wrong. His sense of responsibility applies to his work at school, friends, and family. He simply will not let anyone down. It's a great lesson for anyone to learn."

Evan "My dad doesn't do anything halfway. I've learned that you need to work as hard as you can and give everything your best shot."

Marc "Evan always listens to every single thing I say and does exactly what I believe is best! (Or at least he makes me think that). Honestly - and I know I am lucky here - I cannot cite a single time when we've had a serious conflict."

Evan "I agree with my dad about not having any conflicts. But I am only 15 and there's still plenty of time!"

Marc "Like many families in the Santa Clarita Valley, we are busy and 'scheduled.' Evan is constantly involved in his schoolwork, sports and music. My older son, Seth, attends college in northern California (Stanford). It is the times when we can step away from the daily crush that bring us together. We find that those times usually center around vacations and outdoor activities. We've 'road tripped,' camped, hiked, and biked since our boys were babies. We've kayaked and rafted, rock climbed, snorkeled and zip lined in Costa Rica. Our vacations are the times that bring us together."

Evan "My dad rarely misses one of my soccer games, concerts, or school activities. He is always there to support me and encourage me to do my best."

Marc "When Evan commits to something, he carries through. He's persistent and dedicated. His freshman soccer team voted him "Most Inspirational" and he was recently voted class vice president for next year. There was a reason for these recognitions - he brings energy, humor and commitment to whatever he does."

Evan "My dad's most admirable trait is his dedication. He is devoted to our family, community, and his job. It amazes me that despite the enormous demands of his job (as superintendent of the Hart School District), he always finds time to give back to the community and be with our family."

Marc "There is nothing in the world as important to me as my family."

Evan "I can always turn to my dad for help and advice and he's always there for me."

Tony Newhall, 67 and Lindsey Scott Newhall, 24

"Humor Always Works"
Tony "When I was younger, I was a workaholic. I've learned from my daughter never to take things too seriously - like business appointments, committee meetings, deadlines. Enjoy the fun things while you have the time."

Lindsey "What I've learned from my Dad: 1) Always pick up litter; 2) Never kill spiders; 3) Always printout your boarding pass before you get to the airport; and 4) In chess, when you see nothing strategic to do, simply develop a piece."

Lindsey "The best times we've had together was going to '50s car shows, road trips to Death Valley, trivia quiz nights, and charades parties with my friends (yes, he plays too, and he takes it too seriously). And I love to hear his stories of when he was growing up. My pop has some good stories!"

Tony "Most conflicts are about trivial things, like hurt feelings. I learned never to take them too seriously. I try to reduce the matter to humor. Humor always works. We've always gotten along well, though sometimes I became a pushover."

Lindsey "The key to solving conflict: I isolate my dad from my mom so he has no one to back him up, and I slowly chip away at his position until he begins to see things my way. (Seriously) I have always loved and respected my dad because I trust his judgment and character."

Tony "Lindsey's most admirable trait is being kind and considerate, and she's very socially conscientious - she keeps in close contact with friends, always calling them and writing letters. Her kindness ranges from treating her elders with respect, to rescuing the tiniest spider."

Lindsey "I consider my father to be one of the best, most upright people I know. Two things I admire the most and aspire to emulate are his conscientiousness and reliability. He also has an amazing ability to get things done and done well (including some of my homework when I was in high school!)."

Lindsey "I'm convinced [I inherited] my bad timing and rhythm in dancing. (Thanks a lot, Pops. Now I'll never be a champion Irish dancer!) Also, we both make the same kinds of animated, silly facial expressions, and we both introduce ourselves first-name-last-name on the phone to everyone, including close friends."

Tony "Two years ago on my birthday Lindsey mailed me a hand-lettered card which she sent from Beijing, recounting all the miscellaneous memories and events we shared together over the previous 22 years. It brought tears to my eyes."

Lindsey "When I was growing up and wanted to start exerting my autonomy by making my own decisions, my mother would always say 'no' as soon as I opened my mouth. But my father would take the time to listen to my reasoning. He let me talk things out and make a case for whatever it was that I wanted. He didn't always acquiesce to my requests, but just knowing that he understood my situation and treated me like an adult made his decisions, even negative ones, easier for me to accept."

Tony "For a while in my career, I took a job out of town that separated me from my daughter during her growing years. If I had the chance, I would not do that again."

Tony "Having her as my daughter has given me the comfort of knowing that while some people will come and go in my life, Lindsey and I will always have a special bond and unconditional love for each other."

Craig Keoshian, 51 and Collin Keoshian, 16

"Faith and Football"
Craig "This football season for Collin was unbelievably successful, breaking numerous school records, receiving extensive notoriety and publicity. Throughout the attention he remained level headed and humble, recognizing that his talents are a gift from God. This has been a great reminder to me that all things are a gift from God."

Collin "My dad has encouraged me to be devoted to Jesus Christ and to live an obedient life by knowing God's word, the Bible, which will bring honor and glory to Him."

Craig "We don't have a lot of conflict because we openly share our thoughts and feelings with one another. Collin knows he has the freedom to come to me with anything on his mind."

Collin "We don't really have much conflict between us, but we do share our feelings and communicate well."

Craig "The common activity that we share together is definitely football. I have the privilege of coaching the team that Collin plays on. We also enjoy going to church together, reading the Bible and discussing lessons to be learned from God's word."

Collin "Football is the main activity that brings us together. My dad is one of our coaches at Santa Clarita Christian School, and we are both very competitive, sharing the love for football. We are also bonded through our Christian faith."

Craig "I think Collin's most admirable traits are his humility and kindness towards others."

Collin "My dad is very patient, kind and generous and also has a great sense of humor."

Craig "I believe Collin has inherited the strong desire to be successful in anything that he pursues. He also has a very strong competitive nature and hates to lose, just like his dad!"

Collin "I inherited from my dad, his kindness along with a very competitive spirit."

Craig "One of the most memorable and exciting gifts I have received from Collin was when our football team was going into the playoffs as underdogs against Rolling Hills Prep. Collin scored seven touchdowns, broke school records, and with his hard play and determination to win, brought the team to victory. This was a very proud moment for me."

Collin "Although I have received many great gifts over the years, the one that has meant the most to me is a MacArthur Study Bible my dad gave me for Christmas."

Craig "My love for Collin is unconditional, regardless of what he achieves in life, because he is my gift from God. His successes or failures will never affect our relationship."

Collin "My dad has shown me unconditional love throughout my life, which has been an awesome example for me."