What is your primary role model in your life? Who do you strive to be like? Who do you strive to not be like?
Strive to be like my grandfathers. The one who's passed was a kind, gentle, mountain of a man who took life seriously. He fixed things that were broken and despite having two kids, he seemed to enjoy most the company of his wife, my grandmother. The one who's still alive is probably one of my best friends, and has been since my parents split up. He's a hilarious, good-natured, active extrovert, very much unlike me in a lot of ways but such a good person. He flies an airplane recreationally at the age of 89. He still drives and exercises each morning. He maintains countless friendships via telephone and handwritten correspondence. Amazing dude. My father is who I strive not to be like. Aimless, dull, and soft. He left the family to - literally - marry a stripper, and I believe he got mixed up in most of the vices and bad behavior in his life out of a sense of misguided rebellion against his adoptive parents and a sense of never having fit in. He's as or more complex a person as both of my grandparents combined and yet a totally repellent person. That said, he's done one thing I haven't, which is to quit smoking, which almost leads me to dislike him even more.
There is nobody that I directly "emulate", however there are a number of people that have taught me how to handle myself in various situations. There are people whose style I have taken bits from, but there isn't anybody who I can singularly point to and say I have modeled myself after "X". Like others on this list I am very fond of both of my grandfathers but I don't think I strive to be like them. I do respect both of their work ethics and their determination to remain active despite being nearly 80 years old.
My father. He taught me strong work ethic. He worked his way up from meat packer, to CEO/Owner of a large truck line in his lifetime. He's a kind and funny person, quite the talker, but knows when to shut up and just work his ass off. He helped a lot of other people along the way throughout his life. Taught me the real value of hard work and money, how to earn and save it. I try to be like him, and it's turning out fairly well. He gave me a better education about the working world than any school ever could.
This has always been a strange question for me. There's no one I've particularly sought to emulate, though there a few people that I've always thought were interesting for the things that they've done or their passion: Bill Nye the Science Guy, Richard Feynman, many NASA astronauts and scientists, several physicists and other researchers that I personally know, etc. I guess the closest answer that I have would be an amalgamation of those people (though, that might be horrifying, a Yog-Sothoth with the many heads of Neil deGrasse Tyson) + The Golden Rule.
I suppose I'd have to go with Richard Feynman, even if there's good odds he wouldn't consider the work I do science. In any case, I can certainly say that I don't have the balls to try cracking any safes at LANL.
I look up to John Lennon in some ways. He had his problems in life, some that he created, others that he had no power over. Despite that, no, because of that, he apologized for his mistakes, and worked with and through his flaws. However hypocritical or mean he was at times, he tried to make up for that, which deserves great respect. I also try to be like an old teacher of mine. She loves science and learning, is brilliant, but also very disorganized and somewhat absent minded. I know if she can deal with that, I know can too.
Growing up I looked up to John a great deal. I still do regarding his songwriting and musicianship. That said, "I don't believe in Beatles, I just believe in me"