Jim Klobuchar: A Young Man Rolls the Dice
Four years ago at a family gathering on Thanksgiving Day in Arizona I sat next to a young man in his senior year in high school and in the midst of a decision.
I’d known him only briefly. For most of the people at the table I was what we once called an in-law. Today, in the more charitable description of an outsider, I’m a member of the extended family. David was an impressive kid, physically conditioned, well-mannered and deferring to the older folks in the cross-conversation the holiday dinner. Earlier his father had mentioned his son’s interest in the military as one possibility.
“I’m thinking of college,” the young man said. “But I’m also thinking of enlisting in the Marines.”
This was in 2008. American forces in Iraq were still taking casualties. In Afghanistan it was worse and was now formally being described as a quagmire. It was begun as a combined effort with allies to rout Osama Bin Laden’s al Quaida and its terrorist threat to the United States and the free world. In time the Americans and allies experienced some of the historic fate of invading armies in Aghanistan—the bogdown in its mountains and the wiles of its Taliban tribes.
David knew about all of that. My own choices had been narrower. I had served in the Army for two years, drafted at the time of the Korean War a few months after graduating from college. I hadn’t thought about volunteering for the service then. But I had served my two years and later remembered doing so with a gratitude I still feel: Wearing the uniform of one’s country.
It mattered. It still does.
But here was a young man with strong academic achievement behind him and a probable choice of scholarships ahead of him, yet thinking seriously about enlisting at a time when he was almost certain to be thrust into shooting war, either in Iraq and more probably in Afghanistan.
I didn’t ask him why. He did say that he admired the principles of the Marine Corps, the discipline it demanded.
He didn’t say, “The country needs people willing to serve.” He didn’t say, “I’m young. There’s a war. Somebody has to fight it. Am I strong enough to want to do that?”
And somewhere he might have felt it: “If not me, who?”
So this became the journey of a young man who didn’t have to fight. But this was a world he lived in; the citizen-soldiers around him were going back again and again in the National Guard. He felt strong, something tugging at him, and telling him he should be part of it.
Was there also something about the excitement of potential combat? A testing?
I don’t know. I would be surprised if there weren’t. He did enlist. He finished at the top of his class in practically all of his training and in the nails-tough Marine exercises and tests. He had the look of a leader. He advanced to sergeant in time and was assigned to Afghanistan.
I lost connection with him for several years, knew nothing of his action there until I talked to his father by phone a few days ago.
“Tell me about David,” I said.
“He was in the middle of it,” his father said, “in Helmand Province and places like that.” They had battles with the Taliban. Drones flying overhead. Improvised explosives, invisible but there. Sometimes it was a throw of the dice. Strategies and deadly tricks. “Our guys pretended they were pulling out,” his father said, “The Taliban fighters took the bait…and our guys hit them hard when they came.”
And the next day? More of the same.
I hesitated to ask. “And David?”
“He has served his four years and is back in the country. He’s glad he did it and proud to be among the men he served with. He felt he had something to give. And now he’s planning to enroll in pre-law in Pennsylvania.”
“His girlfriend has been studying there and it’s a perfect situation.” His father said he thought David would make it in law.
Would you have any doubts?
About Jim Klobuchar:
In 45 years of daily journalism, Jim Klobuchar’s coverage ranged from presidential campaigns to a trash collector’s ball. He has written from the floor of a tent in the middle of Alaska, from helicopters, from the Alps and from the edge of a sand trap. He was invited to lunch by royalty and to a fist fight by the late Minnesota Viking football coach, Norm Van Brocklin. He wrote a popular column for the Minneapolis Star Tribune for 30 years and has authored 23 books. Retiring as a columnist in 1996, he contributes to Ecumen’s “Changing Aging” blog, MinnPost.com and the Christian Science Monitor. He also leads trips around the world and an annual bike trip across Northern Minnesota. He’s climbed the Matterhorn in the Alps 8 times and has ridden his bike around Lake Superior. He’s also the proud father of two daughters, including Minnesota's senior U.S. Senator Amy Klobuchar.
A Sad Farewell
Faye Florence Green, Ecumen Lakeshore Special Events and Volunteer Coordinator, passed away recently after a hard fight with ovarian cancer. Faye was just 65, and a beloved member of the Ecumen Lakeshore family since 2008.
“Faye truly was a gift to Lakeshore as an employee and lived a life of service to others,” says Paul Libbon, former Executive Director of Ecumen Lakeshore, now Ecumen’s Director of Managed Campus Operations. “She deeply impacted the lives of those she touched and I will always remember her with smiles.”
Faye kept working through all of her various treatments, even when they left her fatigued. She LOVED all of the residents at The Crest, and did such a marvelous job guiding the Auxiliary, coordinating volunteers, and was a wonderful event planner. “She helped with all of our parties, socials, and making sure there was a host of activities and programs to keep everyone engaged, busy and happy,” according to Roxanne Sternberg, Residence Director at The Crest. “I miss Faye's bright smile, enthusiasm and zest for life. May she rest eternal in Heaven.”
Our thoughts and prayers are with Faye’s family and friends.
In Our New Old Age, Minnesota Must Move Beyond Medicaid
Many of us will spend away our life savings on essential services for our Alzheimer's and other chronic illnesses. There needs to be a better way than becoming impoverished. Ecumen CEO Kathryn Roberts discusses ideas in the Minneapolis Star Tribune for Minnesota to lead the way in public policy innovation for services most of us will need in old age to live empowered lives.
Ecumen Bethany Community celebrates new Memory Care and expanded Short-Term Rehabilitation
Ecumen, a nonprofit senior housing and services company, has expanded senior living and service offerings in Alexandria. Ecumen Bethany Community completed a $3 million renovation and expansion project to enhance short-term rehabilitation services and introduce memory care.
Ecumen Bethany Memory Care offers private suites with individualized services provided by specially trained nurses and caregivers. The new memory care area is now open, with tours. More information is available by contacting Patti Carey at (320) 763-1122 or patticarey@ecumen.org.
The remodeled short-term rehab unit is located entirely on one floor with easy access to the expanded therapy gym and dining area.
The public is welcome to an open house and outdoor dedication service on Thursday, July 26 at 6 p.m. Tours and refreshments will be available. This event will be held at Ecumen Bethany Community Circle Drive, 1020 Lark Street, Alexandria. If weather is unfavorable, the event will be moved indoors.
Ecumen Bethany Community offers independent and assisted living, memory care, skilled nursing care, short-term rehabilitation services, a senior fitness center and community outreach services for Alexandria area residents.
Ecumen Parmly LifePointes Customer's Gets Big Surprise as WW II Dog Tags Returned From Germany
The power of people and Google . . . . A neat story of honor from the Ecumen Parmly LifePointes community in Chisago City. Approaching his 100th birthday, Ecumen customer Emil Verges surprisingly received the "dog tag" he lost on a German battlefield in 1944. The tag was found recently and returned by a German shopkeeper and his customer.
The full story, which was captured by the Forest Lake Press can be read here. The photos are from Paul Dols.
Baby Boomers: Today's American Innovation Force
When people think of America's new start-up businesses, they often think of digital companies, e.g., Facebook begun by the 18 to 34 year-old demographic. But guess where the most entrpreneurial activities are coming from? Baby Boomers. That according to a new report by the Kaufmann Foundation. That bodes well for the future of aging. Dominic Basulto writes more in his Washington Post article: Why Baby Boomers are the Innovators of the Future
In Honor & Memory: Melvin Babcock, Ecumen North Branch
Ecumen North Branch lost a lovely soul this week, Melvin Babcock, age 92. It has been an honor to serve Melvin the years he was with us and we are grateful to his family for the love and care they showed him. Melvin and fellow Ecumen North Branch resident Hazel Eng were featured in a KARE 11 TV feature about Ecumen's Awakenings initiative.
From his obituary: Melvin R. Babcock, of Ecumen North Branch, formerly of Stanchfield, left us for heaven on Sunday evening, June 17, 2012. He was 92 years old.
Melvin was born May 26, 1920 in Webster, Wisconsin. His family moved to Markville, Minnesota, where he attended school and graduated in 1938 from Cloverton High School. He married Irene Witt in 1941 and they celebrated 70 years together. In 1949, their family moved from Markville to Sandstone. In 1959, the family moved to Stanchfield.
Melvin’s many skills included school bus driving, welder, mechanic, and all around handyman. Mel loved hunting, fishing, family, friends, and helping others. He will be greatly missed, but will be waiting for us at the gates of heaven with open arms
Melvin is preceded in death by his parents Herman and Olga (Fosmo) Babcock; 2 brothers and 2 sisters; son-in-law, Donald Shade.
He is survived by wife, Irene; children, Gary (Marie), Diane Shade, Roshan (Shivani), Lonny (Denise), Dan (Debbie); 9 grandchildren; 8 great-grandchildren; sister, Rosalyn (Leonard) Haus; sister-in-law, Lois Babcock; many nieces, nephews, other relatives and friends.
Godspeed Mr. Babcock.
Ecumen Detroit Lakes: Ducks Deliver the Mail!
Life's more fun at Ecumen Detroit Lakes! Mail delivery volunteer Steve Score occasionally brings his ducklings, Peeper and the Pipettes, along for a visit when making the rounds. Watch the sweet story about their special delivery service at KVRR Fox TV.
Ecumen: 150 Years of Creating Home
These companies have history on their side
Article by: KATY READ
Star Tribune
June 17, 2012 - 5:44 AM
Computers have pushed aside paper ledgers and quill pens. Office windows that used to frame bucolic scenes of grazing cows now look onto streets bustling with city traffic. Employees nowadays are far more likely to hold advanced degrees and far less likely to wear bowler hats. Dollar sums that once seemed a fortune now look more like your average cell-phone bill.
Workplaces, in other words, have changed in the century-plus since some of this year's Top Workplaces started doing business. The companies have switched tools, locations and, in some cases, even whole business models. But their values and goals remain relatively constant, company representatives say, along with the employees' commitment that propelled them from the 19th century into the 21st.
Two workplaces began as orphanages, for example, but are now doing something else entirely: Washburn Children's Center serves children with social, emotional or behavioral problems, and Ecumen serves seniors. "Whether providing a home for orphaned children, or now providing an array of senior services, we've really stayed connected to that mission of creating home," said Eric Schubert, Ecumen's vice president of communications and public affairs.
Cargill, which began as a single grain-storage facility in 1865 and now does business around the world, focusing not just on agricultural commodities such as food, but also for manufacturing substances used in paint, adhesives and couch-cushion stuffing. An early Cargill president wrote that "our word is just as good as our bond," said Jennifer Johnson, the company's associate archivist. "Cargill's still committed to its business ethics and how we act and perform, not just in the U.S. but in every country around the world."
Superficial details have changed since the Volunteers of America-Minnesota opened in 1896, said President and CEO Paula Hart. Employees used to wear military-style uniforms, and one early VOA leader, among the first Minnesotans to earn a master's degree in social work, would don hers on Friday nights and hit the bars -- to pass a hat for donations.
Today's employees are no less dedicated, Hart said. "They're tackling some of the toughest issues people have in life, doing hard, gritty work and finding great fulfilment in doing it."
Profinium Financial shares the goal of helping people, in a somewhat different way. The Fairmont-based financial services company began as the Martin County Bank in 1875. Founder Albert L. Ward invested $700 for a two-story, clay-brick structure "roughly the size of our [current] teller line," said Michael W. Riley, Profinium's chief retail and marketing officer. Helping celebrate its opening were a marching band of employees lined up in suits and bowler hats.
Today's employees dress a little differently, but they're still "trying to help people achieve their dreams," said Fred W. Krahmer, a Profinium owner and history buff.
Two St. Paul colleges among the Top Workplaces opened within a few years of each other. The University of St. Thomas was founded in 1894 by the archbishop of St. Paul. All male until 1977, it taught men to "become teachers and priests and businessmen and occupations of that nature," said Doug Hennes, vice president for university and government relations.
Rasmussen College opened in 1900 to provide men and women with technical skills for accounting, business, administrative or secretarial work, said Rasmussen President Kristi Waite. Now spacious and high-tech, the school once held overcrowded classrooms, old typewriters and a cash register that only went as high as $10.
Washburn Center for Children opened in 1896, when Minneapolis milling magnate Cadwallader C. Washburn left $375,000 in his estate to start an orphanage, said Executive Director Steve Lepinski. Though kids don't live there now, Washburn still serves kids at risk.
The pay probably wasn't great, and it still isn't, Riley said. "People don't come into this work to make a lot of money. They do it out of passion, love and commitment."
With similar motivations, Gillette Children's Specialty Healthcare started when a Carleton College student who suffered from scoliosis and a St. Paul doctor persuaded the 1897 Legislature to approve a hospital for disabled children, said Dr. Steven Koop, Gillette's medical director, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon and author of a company history.
Antibiotics didn't exist, surgery was dangerous, and early doctors knew little about treating severe disabilities. Since travel was slow and difficult, children moved into Gillette until they got better -- 400 days, on average. But the mission, Koop said, is timeless. "I have to believe in this world we live in today, which is polarized for lots of reasons, that the love of children still draws us together."
When Securian Financial began selling insurance in 1880, a life-insurance policy might total $2,000. In 19th century St. Paul, "it was a great place to start a venture like an insurance company ... a time of putting down roots and new growth and lots of opportunity," said Mark Heir, second vice president for communications and research. "It's fun to be working in a place that was really part of history."
Katy Read • 612-673-4583
© 2011 Star Tribune
Ecumen named Top Workplace!
Ecumen has again been named by the Star Tribune as one of Minnesota’s Top Workplaces for 2012, based on an employee-based survey. The Top Workplaces special section was published in the Star Tribune on Sunday, June 17. Having just missed the Top 100, Ecumen was one of 60 companies named a “National Standard Setter,” which puts Ecumen ahead of most companies nationally based on a measurement for the Star Tribune by WorkPlace Dynamics.
Top Workplaces recognizes the most progressive companies in Minnesota based on employee opinions about company leadership, communication, career opportunities, workplace environment, managerial skills, pay and benefits. The analysis included responses from nearly 71,200 employees at more than 1360 Minnesota public, private and nonprofit organizations.
Ecumen truly lives its promise to Innovate, Empower and Honor. Thanks and kudos to Ecumen employees for the good work they do every day.