Mother’s Day: A Hero without a Headline, an Expression of Gratitude

Written by Tony Mussari
and Kitch Loftus-Mussari
Copyright 2012
Mussari-Loftus Associates
The Face of America Project
faceofamericawps.com

All that I am or ever hope to be, I owe to my angel Mother. Abraham Lincoln

What is a Mother?

An article titled “The Last Mother’s Day,” caught my attention. Written by Timothy Egan, it was published in the online edition of the New York Times on Thursday, May 10. To celebrate his mother, Egan wrote these words:

When the last of your parents dies, as Christopher Buckley wrote in his memoir, “Losing Mum and Pup,” you are an orphan. But you also lose the true keeper of your memories, your triumphs, and your losses. Your mother is a scrapbook for all your enthusiasms. She is the one who validates and the one who shames, and when she’s gone, you are alone in a terrible way.

Throughout the day, I thought about my mother, and I talked with Kitch about her mom. During our conversation, we discussed the most recent trend in mothering, ”Attachment Moms.”

My mother was definitely not an attachment mom, nor was she a “Helicopter Mom.” She was a “teach your child to be responsible and stand on your own two feet mother.” Her experiences during the Great Depression and World War II had a deep and lasting impact.

My mother was the oldest daughter in a large Italian family. Her parents came to America in search of a better life. Her mother was determined, demanding and resilient. She owned and operated a neighborhood grocery store. All of her children were expected to work in that store. There were no exceptions.

My mother was a pathfinder. She wanted something more. She graduated from high school, and she became a registered nurse, something few women of her age and background did in those days.

After she married and she gave birth to her first child, she gave up nursing to become a full-time mother. What she learned from her mother, she taught by example to my brother, my sister and me.

House Rules

These were some of her rules:

1. Be respectful which meant be polite, say please and thank you, and mean what you say;

2. Be responsible which translated to: don’t be a baby, don’t depend upon others to help you, don’t complain, don’t show off, and learn how to figure things out yourself;

3. Work hard. This was a cardinal rule in our home. My brother had a paper route and so did I. He worked in a neighborhood cigar store and he drove a delivery truck.  My sister worked in a clothing store. I was the youngest, but I pulled my weight by peddling papers, shoveling sidewalks in the winter, and cleaning out basements in the summer. If I wanted to buy something like a baseball glove or an English bicycle, I had to earn money to make the purchase;

4. Get an education. My mother was absolutely inflexible on this rule. We all graduated from high school. My brother and I graduated from college. Ken earned an advanced degree in educational administration. He became an assistant superintendant for personnel. Following in my mother’s footsteps, Mary graduated from the Mercy Hospital School of Nursing. I graduated from college and I earned my Ph.D. I followed in my brother’s footsteps. I became a teacher;

5. Believe in God. My mother loved her God. She found peace and happiness in church. St. Mary’s Church was our second home. There, we learned to love God and obey His rules. To this day, the importance of a spiritual dimension to life and a sense of accountability for all that we do, or fail to do, is central to what we believe and how we behave.

6. Love your country. Patriotism is in our DNA. We got it from our parents. They loved America and the opportunities they had here. They proudly displayed the American flag on holidays. They never missed an opportunity to vote. My mother cherished the blessings of liberty, and she made sure we understood the responsibilities of American citizenship.

What Would You Say?  

During my conversation with Kitch about our mothers, she asked me this question. “If you had an opportunity to speak to your mother one more time, what would you say to her
”

Without hesitation, I replied: “Thank you mom for all that you did for us, all that you demanded of us, all that you and dad denied yourselves so that we could have a better life. Thank you for making us believe that we could be more, do more, and accomplish more than we thought we could. Thank you for giving us a good home, a good education, a good example and a good life.”

In the quiet of this Mother’s Day morning, I will have a private conversation with my mother much like the ones I have been having with her for 70 years. She knows that for all these years, in things both big and small, I have tried to make her proud of her youngest son.

These conversations always end with these words: “I am forever grateful Mom. I love you, and I hope you are in heaven.

Oliver Wendell Holmes was right: “The real religion of the world comes from women much more than men – from mothers most of all, who carry the key of our souls in their bosoms.”

My mother modeled the Face of America on its best day every day of her life, and I am blessed to be her son.

Happy Mothers’ Day.

Please provide feedback to:

tony.mussari@gmail.om

Growing Old in America

Written by Tony Mussari
Copyright 2012
Mussari-Loftus Associates
The Face of America Project
faceofamericawps.com
tony.mussari@gmail.com

You are as young as your faith, as old as your doubt; as young as your self-confidence, as old as your fear; as young as your hope, as old as your despair. Douglas MacArthur.

Another Milestone

In 1942, the cost of a new home was $3,775.00. The average income in the United States was $1,885.00. You could purchase a new car for $920.00, rent a house for $35.00 a month, go to Harvard for $420.00 a year, see a movie for 30 cents, buy a gallon of gasoline for 15 cents and send a letter for 3 cents.

At my grandmother’s neighborhood grocery store bacon was 45 cents a pound, milk was 60 cents a gallon, fresh baked bread was 9 cents a loaf, and ground coffee was 55 cents a pound.

No, I am not a savant.  All of these interesting facts are recorded in the birthday card I received from my godchild and niece, Theresa. The card is titled “1942 Remember When…A Nostalgic Look Back In Time” Yes, the card and several others I was fortunate to receive reminded me that I am right in the middle of what gerontologists call the early part of old age.

What is it like to be 70? Not much different than being 60, and much better than 65 when I had open heart surgery. To be very honest, I feel more liberated than ever before. There are more endings than beginnings, but there are an equal number of opportunities to be useful and make a difference.
I can see the emptiness of being busy and the shallowness of the frenetic lifestyle that substitutes activity for thoughtfulness and noise for understanding.

At 70, you spend more time alone with your thoughts and less time seeking fulfillment in crowds. At 70, life for me is about gratitude, reflection, remembering and cherishing private moments with grandchildren, friends, relatives and a select group of former students and their parents.

This is the Indian summer of life, and, for Kitch and me, it is one of the best stages of life. It is a time of thinking, planning, sharing and doing things we have always wanted to do, but never had the time to do.

That’s why we started our Face of America project.  That’s why we are spending so much time in North Plainfield, New Jersey.  That’s why we enjoy reading and writing, and that’s why we go into our garden for peace and quiet.

Life Lessons

What have I learned during my three score and ten years on this planet? I think I can summarize the most important lessons I’ve learned in 25 aphorisms:

1. Family matters;
2. Friends count;
3. There is no sell by date for parenting;
4. Life is bumpy;
5. Failure is the mother of opportunity;
6. Fame is fleeting;
7. Nature is the most beautiful artist;
8. Giving is better than receiving;
9. Patience is more than a virtue. It is the key to success;
10. Experience is the best teacher;
11. Listening is the key to understanding;
12. Ego is always the enemy;
13. You never escape your childhood;
14. Freedom isn’t free;
15. Most shortcuts lead to dead end streets;
16. There is some money that ain’t worth making;
17. Hope is stronger than death;
18. Work without purpose is meaningless;
19. Forgiveness is liberating;
20. Good health is great wealth;
21. Everyone needs encouragement;
22. No one is a superman or a superwoman;
23. Success has many different meanings;
24. Gratitude makes everything worthwhile;
25. A kind, loving and tolerant heart always saves the day.

From the Mouth of Babes

During their birthday visit, I asked my grandchildren what it means to be old. Their answers were priceless.

For Julia who is 9 and P.J. who is 6, being old is a time when:

You might forget things when you go on a trip;

You might leave things in a place where you can’t find them;

You walk slower than other people;

It might take you longer to do things;

You don’t have to work as much;

You might not get out as much;

You sleep more than other people;

You’ve been around longer than other people so you are a better story teller;

You own an older home;

You have older things like nice comfortable beds;

You have older friends;

You might have a garden to keep you busy;

You have an older oven to bake things;

You might not know what people are saying because you have bad hearing.

Old in America

What do you do if you are old in America?

What are your choices?

Who wants to hear your opinions?

Who speaks for your interests?

Who is there to help you when things are bad or to celebrate with you when things are good?

Who makes you feel that you are not alone…that you are relevant and needed?

Who asks for your advice, and heeds it?

These are questions older Americans ask themselves all the time.

In the 1980s, an energetic, intelligent, thoughtful and the youngest president in the history of Yale University, A. Bartlett Giamatti, addressed several of these questions with these words:

“I want a Yale University that engages retired faculty so that their dignity and expertise are not lost.”

Motivational speaker Les Brown made the point that you are never too old to set another goal or dream a new dream.

Henry Ford said it another way:
“If you take all of the experience and judgment of men over 50 out of this world … there wouldn’t be enough left to run it.”

In my opinion, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr. said it the best way:

“To be 70 years young is sometimes more cheerful and hopeful than to be 40 years old.”

With that in mind, Kitch and I look forward.  We know where we have been. We know what we have learned. We are blessed with the gift of life, the richness of our memories, and the connections we have with people of good will like our friends, neighbors, relatives, former students and their parents who stay in touch and inspire us look at every day as an opportunity to do our best.

Amy Grant is right:

Oh how the years go by
Oh how the love brings tears to my eyes
All through the changes the soul never dies
We fight, we laugh, we cry
As the years go by

And if we lose our way
Any night or day
Well we’ll always be
Where we should be
I’m there for you
And I know you’re there for me

Amy Grant’s words speak to America on its best day. Whether young or old, people expect respect and a feeling that they matter and they are valued.

Please provide feedback to:
tony.mussari@gmail.com

Heroes without Headlines: Part 4

Written By Tony Mussari
Copyright 2012
Mussari-Loftus Associates
The Face of America Project
faceofamericawps.com
tony.mussari@gmail.com

Bring your best self to work. Dr. Ann Henry

Twelve Hours at Marywood

Since its founding as a Catholic liberal arts college in 1915, Marywood University has been a center of excellence in Northeastern Pennsylvania

Early in the morning of the third Monday in March, this beautiful 140 acre campus opened its welcoming arms to a community of students, faculty, administrators and guests who came to Marywood to learn about ethical business practices in the digital age.

In one respect, it was an opportunity for people of good will to benefit from the experiences of experts in the field of business ethics and corporate responsibility. In another respect, it was a celebration of the 10th Annual Forum and Conference on Ethical Leadership and Corporate Social Responsibility.

At Marywood University, doing the right thing for the right reasons is central to everything students learn. Thanks to the leadership and vision of Dr. Gale Jaeger, the conference on ethics and social responsibility sends a clear and compelling message, doing the right thing for the right reason is a win/win situation for everyone.

Magic Moments

These are but a few of the magic moments from the conference.

Dr. Sharon McCrone, Executive Director of EOTC, a mission-driven, strength-based, family-focused human development agency, emphasized the need to help employees understand that they are responsible for their actions and behavior.

Sharon is a leader and an inspiration to everyone who knows her. She is committed to helping people find the best edition of themselves.

Louis Shapiro, Executive Vice President of the architectural firm Burkavage Design Associates, posed the question: “How do you practice ethical behavior if it is not defined?”

He defined it with these words. “It’s common sense, decency followed by the Golden Rule.”  Then, he added this caveat: “Greed does funny things to people.” 

Lou Shapiro speaks with conviction and experience about the importance of ethical business practices. The attendees appreciated his candor, his insight and his wisdom.

Gregory Hunt, Founding Dean of the School of Architecture at Marywood University, made a telling point with these statistics.

In the United States alone, buildings account for:

39 percent of total energy use;
12 percent of total water consumption;
68 percent of total electricity consumption;
38 percent of total carbon dioxide emissions.

Under Dean Hunt’s leadership, the home of the School of Architecture at Marywood is a retrofitted physical education building.  Great care was taken to salvage and reuse everything and anything found in the building including the gym floor.

The building is a classic example of creativity, innovation, preservation, ethical leadership and social responsibility. “We have a responsibility,” he told the audience, “to protect the diminishing resources of the planet.” 

Dean Hunt and his associates at Marywood do as they say. They walk the walk of ethical leadership and corporate responsibility.

Gregg Loboda is Vice President of Information Systems at Prudential Retirement. His presentation was titled Customer Privacy Issues.  He emphasized the need to protect the confidentiality of information and assets.

Gregg captured the attention of everyone in the room when he explained how vulnerable people are to identity theft. Tailoring his message to the students in the room, he asked, how many had recorded their birth date on the social networking site Facebook. After the response, he explained how that made them vulnerable to identity theft.

He advised them to remove the birth date from their Facebook profile.

Kitch and I followed Gregg. We presented ten of the stories we recorded during our Face of America journey. Each story addressed an issue of ethics, social responsibility and leadership. Our view reflected what is happening at the ground level.

Jamie Baker summarized our contribution to the conference with words he shared with us during his interview in Wallace, Idaho: “Everyday folks all over this land are its foundation and their ethics, dedication, and good will is what has made this the greatest country in the world.”

Quotes for the Day

Marisa Burke, news anchor at WNEP TV, our local ABC affiliate, began the panel discussion during the evening session with a reference to Greg Smith.  According to Marisa, the former Goldman Sachs executive set the tone for the conference when he put loyalty to values above loyalty to company.

Dr. Ann Henry the Vice President of Cisco Capital Global Operations for Cisco Systems Capital, responded to Marisa’s comment with a memorable and powerful thought:

Employees have an obligation to bring their best self to work.

Earlier in the day while addressing her topic Technology and Ethical Leadership at Work, Dr. Henry proudly displayed a slide with these words:

Our Focus for GOVERNANCE

Promote responsible business practices with every employee at every level of our business.

Robert Tyndall is the Chief Ethics Officer and Senior Vice President of Risk Management Prudential. Calling upon his experiences, he was quick to point out the importance of trust in a business relationship. “If you do not have trust in us,” he said, “we are out of business.”
He continued with eight words that made a lot of sense. “Reading the manual does not make you ethical.”

Craig Best is the President and CEO of Penn Security Bank and Trust Company. He believes that employee decisions are rooted in the values they bring with them to the work place. At Penn Security Bank, protecting the customer’s assets is central to everything the bank does. He is not apologetic about holding employees accountable for the decisions they make.

Chris DiMattio is the Senior Vice President and Manager of First National Community Bank Wealth Management. He talked about customer needs and revenue needs. He is an outspoken devotee of longevity at a firm.  It is a good thing, he noted, but employees must always remember to put the client’s needs ahead of themselves and the firm. He followed this with a statement that will long be remembered by everyone in the room: “If the commission is too high, too good, it’s probably not good for your client.”

Thoughts about the Day

On Monday, March 19, Kitch and I spent 11 hours on the campus of Marywood University.  It was a day of community, a day of learning, a day of thinking and day of good fellowship.

We missed one presentation, and we are sorry we did.  Susan Unvarsky, Vice President of Operations for Prudential Retirement, told her audience in the opening session why transparency is ethical business. We arrived at about the time Susan was finishing her remarks.

Everyone we met during the day was helpful, pleasant and welcoming. The sessions were interesting and informative. We shared priceless moments with Sister Mariam Pfeifer, a dear friend and an inspiration to everyone she taught. In the cafeteria, we met two employees Laura and Richard. They went out of their way to help us. In the elevator, we met a chef who was very accommodating.  

We had a mini-reunion with two of our former students, Amy Fedele and Stephanie Seese. Amy is a member of the Marywood staff. Stephanie is a marketing executive in scranton. Making eye contact with Amy and Stephanie during our presentation was one of the best moments of the day.

After our presentation we made a new friend, Dr. U. Rex Dumdum. He was most affirming, and he invited us to speak in one of his classes.  

At dinner, we were fortunate to be seated at what we affectionately called the best table in the room.  At table 4, we laughed together, and we engaged one another in several different conversations. We left the table with good memories of time well spent with nice people.

After the conference, we had uplifting conversations with Dr. Ann Henry, Craig Best, Dr. Art Comstock, and several students who asked thoughtful questions and offered wonderful feedback about the events of the day. Kitch and Sharon McCrone reminisced about their student days at Marywood in the 1970s. Marisa Burke and Kitch shared stories about their experiences in broadcasting.

Very few of the people we met at Marywood University will ever get a headline on page one of the local newspaper. Their faces will never appear on the cover of Time Magazine. They will not produce videos that go viral, nor will they be invited to tell their stories on the Today Show.

The people we met at Marywood are not interested in fame. They have meaning and purpose in their life because they are effectively and quietly doing things to improve the quality of life for others.  They are examples of ethical leadership and responsibility because of the things they will not do to serve their own self interest as well as the things they will do to make America a better place for all of us.

The people we met at Marywood are heroes in the way the father of our country, George Washington described heroes. They keep alive that little spark of celestial fire called conscience.

Thank You, Dr. Gale Jaeger
Thank You, Marywood University

Please provide feedback to:
Tony.mussari@gmail.com

Heroes without Headlines, Part 3

Written By Tony Mussari
Copyright 20112
Mussari-Loftus Associates
The Face of America Project
faceofamericawps.com

Photography is a way of telling, of touching, of loving. What you have caught on film is captured forever… It remembers little things long after you have forgotten everything.  Aaron Siskind

Godlove’s Work

The Barnes & Noble bookstore in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, is one of a handful of college bookstores serving two small liberal arts colleges.  It is a place where shoppers of all ages can setup their laptops, purchase a cup of coffee, read a book or rent a college textbook in an inviting and welcoming environment.

This building was the place where F.M. Kirby maintained an office from which he directed a retail empire that stretched across the country and the Atlantic Ocean.  It is the same space where F.W. Woolworth had a Five and Dime Store that was once the largest retail chain in America. Unable to compete with the megastores and shopping malls built in the 1980’s, the Woolworth chain disintegrated and this historic building on South Main Street began to crumble and decay.

After ten years of dreaming and planning and a cooperative effort by civic, educational and political leaders, the Barnes & Noble Bookstore for King’s College and Wilkes University became a reality in 2008. To our delight, one of our former students, John Augustine, was one of the people who helped make the dream become a reality.

On this unseasonable warm January evening, the bookstore became a gallery for a display of photographs taken by students, teachers and administrators who participate in the Global Education program offered by Wilkes University. It was a joyful event, a thought-provoking event, a memorable event. The maestro conducting this magical orchestration of images and colors was Godlove Fonjweng.

Godlove is director of Global Education at Wilkes University. Born and raised in Cameroon, he received his undergraduate degree at Swarthmore and his Ph.D. at the University of Pennsylvania. He is the perfect person for the job. Affable, creative, industrious, kind, knowledgeable, sociable, thoughtful and very competent, he loves what he does, and it shows. He loves his adopted country and it shows.

I met Godlove at the Marquis Art and Frame Shop in December and we became fast friends.

Captured Forever

On this evening more than 50 photographs were on display. An enthusiastic crowd of students, teachers, community leaders and invited guests came to celebrate the moment. Godlove was a gracious host who made everyone feel welcome, and he attended to every little detail to maximize the experience for everyone in the room.

The photographs were arranged in a way that enabled visitors to stop, look and think about what they were seeing. The images on display recorded scenes of students and teachers in faraway places seeing, talking, connecting and changing in ways they never expected. They gave witness to the many and rich benefits of international travel and study abroad.

Lisa Bova’s picture of three orphaned babies sitting is a discarded cardboard box touched my heart in a very special way. It captured the beauty of these children, their vulnerability, and their yearning to belong. As I focused my camera, their hopeful eyes drew me in, and for a moment, I forgot where I was and what I was doing. I wanted to reach out and give them comfort. I wanted them to have a home with people who would care for them and their needs. I was humbled by their innocence. I wondered why life is so unfair for some and so rich for others.

Virtually the same feelings overpowered me again when I came upon Karenbeth Bohen’s picture of an outdoor cooking area. The picture was taken in Northwest Tanzania in a rural village near a town called Karagwe.  

According to Karenbeth, an associate professor of Pharmacy Practice, the scene depicts a typical meal of boiled and then smashed green banana cooked over a wood fire. To get the water used in the process, it is not uncommon for people to walk 1-2 kilometers. Because water is so scarce in this part of the world, an accepted practice is to collect rain water as it drains off corrugated metal roofs.

This point was reinforced with a haunting image in a picture taken in Uganda.

Godlove snapped the shot of a child doing what children do in this village.

This is how Godlove described the shot:

“In Uganda, boys start running important family errands at a very early age.”

Pamela Pogash took her picture in a village in Kaya, Burkino Faso in 2011 during a medical mission trip.  This is what she wrote about the picture and the experience:

I learned first hand that the things we take for granted food, water, clothing and medical care should be cherished. Meeting the people, especially the children, and having the time to spend time with them showed me that a hug, a smile, or a wave serve as a universal language. These people have very little in the way of material things, but they have a lot of love and happiness in their hearts. I am now a better person for having this unforgettable experience.

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share this photo. It means the world to me.

Telling, Touching, Loving

These are but four images from the photo exhibition. There were many others. Everyone told a story and everyone had a purpose. I enjoyed seeing the picture of Professor Karenbeth Bohan eating a recently picked juicy mango.  I admired the picture taken by Professsor Sharon Cosgrove of a 12th century Romanesque abbey located in the French village of St. Amand de Coly. The light streaming through the window into the fortified church created a magnificent scene.  

I wish I could describe every picture in detail here, but I can’t.

The best I can do is record what the photo exhibit did for Kitch and me. It provided an opportunity to see beyond the obvious. It took us to places that we seldom think about, and it helped us better understand the many blessings we have in America, and the responsibilities that come with those blessings. 

For me, Dr. Godlove Fonjweng, his colleagues and the students we met are heroes without headlines. They took the risk to get out of their comfort zone. They overcame their fears and all the uncertainties that discourage people from participating in experiences like this.  They brought good will, understanding and valuable services to people who need help. They recorded beautiful and powerful images that will break down walls of division and misunderstanding.  They gained invaluable insights that will broaden their perspective and humanize their work.

Ansel Adams once said, “A photograph is usually looked at – seldom looked into.”

Godlove Fonjweng takes students and teachers to places where they snap pictures that people want to look into. What he, his students and their teachers do is a classic example of America at its best.

Please provide feedback to:
tony.mussari@gmail.com

Barbara “Bobbie” Platt

Written By Tony Mussari
Copyright 2012
Mussari-Loftus Associates, LTD
The Face of America Project

America lost one of its best this week. 

Her name will not appear in the headlines of any newspaper. It will not be number one in a Google search of famous people. There will be no testimonials on the national news, and very few people will know of her passing.

That’s exactly the way she would want it; no fuss, no fanfare, no fame, no public display of emotion.

Barbara Platt was a tiny woman with enormous talent and a heart as big as the moon. When she and her husband moved to Gettysburg, Pennsylvania in 1955, she found her passion. For more than 50 years she studied the Gettysburg National Battlefield, and she gave generously of her time to help preserve this national treasure.

Her book, This Is Sacred Ground, is one of a few books written about the battlefield not the battle. It has received four star reviews from people who have read it. “Civil War Librarian” selected it as one of the top ten books about Gettysburg most frequently consulted and enjoyed:

“Platt’s work may be close to one of a kind, having a clear focus on the acres in the park’s boundaries but not becoming overwhelmed by the myths and realities of interpreting the battle.”

If you visit Gettysburg and you stay at the Doubleday Inn Bed and Breakfast, you will receive a complimentary, autographed copy of what is described as “the most comprehensive history of the Gettysburg Battlefield since those 3 days in July, 1863”

Since its publication in 2001, Barbara had been a fixture in the gift shop at the Visitors’ Center. Almost every day of the week, she sat for hours talking with visitors and autographing copies of her book for everyone who purchased it.  This is where we met, and this is where our friendship took flight.

During our Face of America journey, we visited Gettysburg five times. It was my good fortune to have the pleasure of Barbara’s company at lunch during four of these visits. We had a good number of telephone conversations, and Barbara provided feedback for our book, America at Its Best.

Bobbie, as she was affectionately known to her friends, Kitch and I had much in common; a love of history, a compulsion to write, an interest in little known, but inspirational stories of hope and service, a love of animals and an heroic battle with cancer.

Bobbie knew the insidiousness of cancer in very real and personal ways. She battled breast cancer and she defied the odds. She had compassionate and very helpful advice for Kitch during her battle with breast cancer. “I don’t think about it,” she told us, “I just live my life, and do what I want to do.”

Recently, a very aggressive form of breast cancer resurfaced, and Bobby resumed chemotherapy. Nevertheless, when I asked her to sit for an interview for our documentary about battling cancer, she did not hesitate. She arranged all the details for our visit to the Gettysburg National Military Park. She was a perfect hostess.

During the interview, she was courageous, forthright and purposeful. She provided a priceless interview. At one point she looked at me and said, “I know we all have to die.  I would like to beat this thing so I can be here for the 150th anniversary of the battle.”

After the interview she introduced us to several people who work for the National Park Service. During these encounters, I detected great warmth, and respect. The people we met admired and liked Bobbie. You could see it in their warm embraces and their welcoming smiles when they greeted and talked with Bobbie.  

Unfortunately, Bobby did not get her wish.  She will not be here to celebrate the anniversary of the battle, and we will not be the beneficiaries of her deep understanding of what took place here in 1863. Cancer took her life and as the African saying goes, with her death we lost a library of priceless information and nuance.

During our first interview in 2010, Bobbie said something about Gettysburg that made an indelible mark on my soul. She was talking about the men who waged war in this sacred place and the public spirited men and women who have dedicated themselves to preserving this sacred ground:

You have to believe in something, if you are going to be successful, if you are going to make any contribution. I think that the men who fought here loved their country. I think that in the past few years we’ve had people leading this park who loved it and understood what the sacrifice was. If you have love, you have a lot going for you.

While studying the battlefield where 160,000 combatants engaged in the most brutal form of warfare producing 51,000 casualties, Barbara Platt, discovered the power of compassion, faith, honor, historical preservation, perseverance, respect, thoughtfulness, tolerance and love. She spent the last 11 years of her life sharing these healing gifts with everyone she met.

Barbara Platt – wife, mother, student, expert, friend, volunteer, and animal lover was an extraordinary woman. Those of us who knew her felt her love, and we were enriched and inspired by her quiet, humble, direct and no nonsense way.

America has lost one of its best public spirited citizens. She died the way she lived, courageously and quietly with dignity and class. She is a Face of America Kitch and I will never forget because she exemplified what America is on its best days. She was honest, thoughtful, helpful, loyal, tolerant and full of optimism and hope.

Her life gave truth to her words, “If you have love, you have a lot going for you.”

The words of one of her heroes Abraham Lincoln apply:

“Always bear in mind that your own resolution to succeed is more important than any one thing.”

Thank you, Bobbie for showing us the way. You will be remembered with admiration, and you will be missed in all the ways that matter. May God have mercy on your soul.

Please provide feedback to:
Tony.Mussari@gmail.com

(The Picture of Bobbie Platt in her volunteer uniform courtesy of The Gettysburg National Military Park.)

Walking With Justice

Written By Tony Mussari
Copyright 2012
Mussari-Loftus Associates, LTD
The Face of America Project
faceofamericawps.com
tony.mussari@gmail.com

Mollie Marti is a wife, mother, lawyer, teacher, writer, coach and friend. She is one of the kindest people Kitch and I met during our journey across America. Born, raised and educated in Iowa, she has accomplished much in her lifetime, but she has remained true to the principles of family, faith and friendship commonly known as “Iowa Nice.”

In 1991, Mollie joined an elite group of young law clerks who were carefully selected by Judge Max Rosenn, United States Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit, and her life was changed forever.

This week Mollie came to our hometown to promote her book, Walking with Justice. It is the story about what she learned from her mentor, Judge Max Rosenn, and why he is “A Man for All Seasons.”

Mollie’s account of Judge Rosenn’s life lessons is compelling, thoughtful and artfully told with the conviction and compassion of a caring heart. In so many ways, it is a manual for what one should expect from a mentor, and a blueprint for what America is on its best day.

During Mollie’s visit, Kitch and I had several priceless moments talking with Mollie and recording images of Mollie interacting with friends, colleagues and perfect strangers who came to purchase her book.

There were many warm hugs of friendship and reunion, but one moment that left an indelible mark on my soul happened when a student approached the table where she was signing books at Barnes & Noble. He had been watching Mollie from afar, and he finally summoned enough courage to approach her.

What happened next was quintessential Mollie Marti. The student did not have enough money to purchase the book so Mollie gave him an autographed copy of a summary of the book.  

The boy was stunned, and I was fortunate enough to capture this special moment for Mollie and her family. The expression on the boy’s face says it all.

In a way, this was vintage Mollie. She is a warm, welcoming woman with a heart of gold and a spirit that gives freely of her talents to help others.

It is also a statement about the man who taught her to write her legacy every day of the week.

The man she calls “life’s greatest mentor” would be very proud of his former student and the legacy she is building one day at a time, one person at a time, one opportunity to serve at a time.

In my mind’s eye, there is a quotation in Walking with Justice that captures the essence of Judge Rosenn and the brilliance of Mollie’s work:

“Helping others in need is not only a responsibility of life; it is what gives meaning to life.”

Mollie Marti and Judge Max Rosen united again in a book that will make you feel good about the law, the judicial system and America. It was written by a genuine Face of America about a man whose life defined all that is good, decent and inspiring about America at its best.

It doesn’t get much better than that.

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