I have been blessed and overwhelmed by all the congratulations and affirming comments I have received since being inducted into the School District of Milton’s Wall of Honor last Thursday night. In a perfect world I could convey my appreciation and thanks to all these people individually. That, however, seems nearly impossible to me so I will cover as many as possible here in this Espresso Shots post. To that end, I am posting here a scaled-down version of my acceptance comments given at the ceremony last Thursday night.
Several months ago, when I first heard about the Wall of Honor concept for our school district, I was very pleased. I love the concept, but never in my wildest imagination did I ever entertain the idea that I might be nominated and selected as an honoree. When I was informed I had been nominated and selected for this year’s induction. I was completely overwhelmed with surprise and emotion but, oh, so highly honored.
Taking nothing away from any individual inductees, I see The Wall of Honor as a community building concept – a clear example of working collaboratively and collectively to create a synergy - a situation where the whole is greater than the sum of the parts.
I refer to myself as a Community Catalyst. If nothing else, it creates a great conversation starter. So, what is a catalyst? Return to your chemistry days where there is a proven way to make change happen faster: Catalysts convert air into fertilizer and petroleum into bike helmets. But most intriguing is the way they generate change. Add a catalyst. Instead of adding heat or pressure, a catalyst provides an alternate route, reducing the amount of energy required for reactions to occur. Here’s the important part for me – rather than pushing, catalysts remove barriers.
I believe I invest time intentionally and diligently to build bridges and remove barriers across the community. How do I accomplish this. We don’t have the time tonight, but I believe a couple of thoughts are worth sharing.
I was fortunate to have Earl & Mabel, parents of extremely high standards, incredible values, significantly deep faith, and exemplary work ethic. As a child and teenager, I’m not sure I totally appreciated this and I’m sure I railed against what I saw then as restrictions and limitations. Now at age 73 and reflecting, I was and am so fortunate.
As I transitioned to adulthood, my life was transformed by the presence and influence of positive mentors and advocates. Professors at Milton College were an initial part of this posse. Several others are sitting in this room tonight. It seems I was unconsciously competent – I could do a variety of things quite well but didn’t really understand all that went into that. Apparently, these people saw something positive and chose to affirm, nurture, and encourage me. Because of these positive influences, I left my initial chosen field of school teaching and entered the world of corporate human resources (we used to call it personnel). I found a successful career where I spent nearly 40 years.
Because of these positive encouraging influencers, I began to move from unconscious competence to conscious competence. HR was a good fit, and I was learning why and how to become better. This wasn’t always easy. I needed correction and guidance often, but these people were masters of this. The organizations for which I worked also made clear the necessity of being intentionally and actively involved in helping make the community better and stronger.
Oh, the power of positive affirmation. In my strong opinion, we must catch people doing things right and then affirm them in these behaviors. Whether it’s students with grades & activities, elected officials, volunteers, salesclerks, police officers, teachers, administrators, pastors, or whomever – positive affirmation is powerful. Never, never underestimate the positive influence you can be.
Careers and community involvement are nearly impossible without strong family support. Sue and I dated in high school and are now in our 54th year of marriage. Sue has always supported my career and community activities despite their sometimes inconvenience. My two adult daughters, Nicole and Amanda, along with their husbands, Tom and Leif are also strong supporters. Of course, my biker gang – Rising Red Hawks – Ivan, Gus, TJ and Emmit are part of that club as well.
Sue is an accomplished flower gardener – sometimes uses the tag – Dahlia Girl. She finds that applying her interest and craft in flowers is a great balancer. I am, clearly, not a gardener of plants but I do consider my beloved community, Milton, my garden. It requires planting, watering, weeding, harvesting, and tending in a variety of ways. My family has supported me in this for years.
I was a young adolescent during the Folk Era. Peter, Paul, & Mary were a clear leading favorite. At the risk of implanting a song in your head that you may take to bed with you tonight, I offer you this brief sample. The words go.
Inch by inch, row by row
Gonna make this garden grow.
All
it takes is a rake and a hoe
And
a piece of fertile ground
Plant
your rows straight and long.
Temper
them with prayer and song.
Mother
Earth (that’s Milton) will make you strong
If
you give her love and care.
Inch
by inch, row by row
Someone
bless these seeds I sow.
Someone
warm them from below
Till the rain comes tumbling down
(This song has been covered by many, many artists. This link will take you to the version I like. If you decide to view it, please watch for the kids’ reactions. After all, are we all investing in them and their futures? You may also simply search YouTube for Peter, Paul, & Mary – The Garden Song. ( https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RHhRyjwYnX0)
Kari asked, “What would I like my legacy to be?” This baffled me for a bit, but I have settled on this – I would like to be remembered as a positive “character” in my community.
Thank you for
this honor and for your attention this evening. I will conclude with a quote
from a favorite author, Wallace Stegner. This is from one of his essays written
for the PBS program, This I believe -
“I will certainly never do as much with my life as I want to, and I shall sometimes fail miserably to live up to my conscience, whose word I do not distrust even when I can’t obey it. But I am terribly glad to be alive; and when I have wit enough to think about it, terribly proud to be an American, with all the rights and privileges that these words connote; and most of all I am humble before the responsibilities that are also mine. For no right comes without a responsibility, and being born luckier than most of the world’s millions, I am also more obligated.”
To all of you well-wishers - Thank you soooo… much! This honor means more to me than I know how to express.
What a great
community!
#CRUZAN4MILTON#WEAREMILTON
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