A Bit of Perspective

 A Bit of Perspective

Because I cannot opine on matters political that appear on the current election ballot this close to Election Day, I offer some personal reflections.

This year, I hit two milestones on the same day, March 28th.

The most important of those is my marriage on that date to my spouse, Gretchen, in 1972. Fifty-two years living with the same person, through thick and thin, is an accomplishment to be celebrated for sure. Along the way we raised three kids and helped countless more. We are lucky and proud that they have all grown up and become successful in their work and personal lives. We’ve been blessed with four wonderful granddaughters. We’ve supported each other’s careers, and both worked to try and make the world a better place. Now that we’re elderly the pace has slowed but the caring for each other and the planet we live on has not. 

The second milestone for March 28th happened in 2014 when I underwent quadruple heart artery by-pass surgery at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee. I have many healthcare providers in the Froedtert system to thank for being alive and able to get up each day and take care of what needs caring. Our healthcare system has its flaws to be sure, but I am still kicking thanks to the one we have. The fact that my surgery took place on our anniversary is not lost on Gretchen and me and, having survived, made it all the more special.

Thinking back on the milestones helped put me in touch with more of my history. One of the most important parts of that history was the five years I spent living in a private co-ed progressive high school in the Berkshire mountains of western Massachusetts. I grew up in Southern California and was spiraling into delinquency as my teens approached. My Eastern bred parents thought it best to send me away to high school and picked one led by my paternal uncle. Buxton School changed my world view from one of California republicans to the more pluralistic socialist view of Eastern progressives. The values and world view I took on in those five years charted a life-long pursuit for social justice and equality. Buxton hit a rough patch during Covid and almost closed. I am helping from a distance by putting together a formal alum association to help the school survive so it can continue to provide a progressive start to kids needing direction.

The final piece of my formative years that helped me get launched was the five years I spent working in the War on Poverty from 1966 to 1971. I joined VISTA after dropping out of a college that I never should have entered. I got trained at the Columbia University of Social Work in New York City with a field placement in Harlem. I learned the basics of community organizing laid out in “Rules for Radicals” by Saul Alinsky. VISTA sent me to Houston, Texas to work for the Houston Council on Human Relations where I joined another 8 volunteers from around the country. We lived in the several African American wards in the city organizing new political movements, registering voters, tutoring kids, and learning about race and injustice. After that year I worked for the local Community Action agency and then for a group of Black ministers as a grant writer. Speaking truth to power learned then became part of who I am today. I continued anti-poverty work after taking a job at CUNA International in Madison providing support to VISTA volunteers working in low-income credit unions across the country and then training new VISTAs for the Jane Addams Training Center in Chicago.

 The experiences I had working with and in impoverished and powerless minority communities helped cement my commitment to pursue equality and social justice in my professional and personal life.

Now you might understand a little better the slant I bring to the opinions I share every other week on this page. I’ll keep it up as long as I can think and type and hopefully continue to offer a different perspective on our world than you get anyplace else.