Confusing title today! I’ll share the background and you
will see why.
Fifty one years ago I took up residence in Oak Park , Illinois Knox
College , Galesburg ,
Ill. 1965). I immediately joined a
Congregational Church (United Church of Christ), sang in the choir and embraced
the fellowship of the congregation. It was a large church but friendly and
accepting. Through them I learned about Oak
Park , spent many wonderful hours philosophizing about
life and generally getting a great indoctrination to life as an adult.
My parents lived in upstate New York ,
my brother remained in Pittsfield , Massachusetts , and my sister resided in Southern
California . I was alone. Except I wasn’t. I had cousins in Wheaton and Morton Grove
and others in Chicago .
We connected and got to know each other better. In this period – 1965 to 1968 –
I had my first job out of college, then my second, then got caught up in social
issues and entered the seminary in fall, 1968 following the assassination of
Martin Luther King, Jr. My Oak Park
church family made this career change possible. This was a major crossroads in
my life and it mattered what was to follow.
Although I left seminary after one year, I changed career
paths to one of helping others. First in private industry in the Human
Resources arena. Then as an Assistant Dean of Student Affairs at the University of Illinois
at Chicago .
There I remained for 17 years. I shifted
yet again by becoming a field consultant for the Illinois trade association for credit
unions. I had been a volunteer board member, table officer and chairman of the
board for many years at two employee credit unions. Now I became the creator of
a professional consulting firm operated within the trade association. My
territory was in Illinois , Missouri
and Minnesota .
After nearly 8 years there I went solo and opened my own consulting firm which
I operated for 20 years until retirement. All non-profit agencies were my
focus. All in the discipline of strategic planning. It was a good and interesting career.
And I continue it as a volunteer today with SCORE – Service
Corps of Retired Executives – helping form small businesses and helping small
businesses succeed through challenges and major change. Still helping people
after all these years. And in return their work with me helps me be me.
So, after 51 years yesterday I visited an Oak Park group of volunteers forming a new
non-profit focused on helping senior citizens age in community. That is, remain
in their home surroundings as long as possible and build a fruitful life
regardless of the changes brought on by age.
As I drove into town I sought out my old apartment homes, my
church, significant other institutions, and finally the library where our
meeting was to be held. The library I remembered, a one storey structure, had been razed and replaced
with a four story edifice back in the 70’s. Beautiful facility and architecture
that plucked the yearnings of design excellence!
As the meeting assembled and grew through its program I was
struck by the earnestness of the attendees to accomplish good things together.
I sensed strong commitment to the mission, but also dedication to collaborative
thinking and sharing to make miracles happen. A good vibe was present then and
as we adjourned later.
Sophistication was present, too. Some of the attendees were
retired lawyers, agency professionals, library personnel, health care
professionals and academics in both teaching and research. Issues were clearly
identified. So too were goals and objectives. People stepped up to the plate to
handle specific tasks. Obtaining a 501c3 designation from the IRS was such a
task. So too strategic plans and organizational design issues.
This group recognizes that as life changes through aging, things become different not worse. Elders represent the community’s acquired
and retained intelligence and history. They age to be better, fuller persons
capable of accomplishing yet more good things in life. All the while they are
teaching younger generations what is ahead for them, and the wealth of
experiences they have yet to enjoy and acquire. All of this is good. Very good.
Visiting Oak Park
was a going back to my roots during a very important era of my development. But
it was also a very important step forward both for me as well as the group with
which I was serving. We relied on each other to gain what each had. That is the
secret of collaboration. It is also the secret of maturity and development.
Retaining our seniors and nurturing full rich lives to the
very end is an important thing for us to do. It is also a value we should hold
dear and retain. Only then can we all step forward into the future. Together.
“Generations discovering fabulous futures” was a phrase that
kept popping to mind. I wonder how true this will be for the group. We can hope
and dream and work together. And then the future is sure to appear. How
fabulous remains yet to be seen.
December 8, 2016
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