Wisdom Wherever You Find It: Another Fine Mess

Wisdom Wherever You Find It: Another Fine Mess

The public library in Wilmette, Illinois, had a small collection of 8mm films available to borrow. Like every other middle-class family in the 1960s, we had a projector on which to watch the growing collection of home movies that featured silent figures waving at the...
Care and Feeding of the Public Trust

Care and Feeding of the Public Trust

“Betraying the public trust” is a phrase long used to describe persons who have acted contrary to the confidence and intentions of those who put them in a place to do so. It can happen in large “publics” like national life, and in small ones, like a church, club, or...
This I Can Do

This I Can Do

The first time I worked as an election worker was the 1960 presidential primary. I passed out flyers for a Republican congressional candidate outside Permian High School in Odessa, Texas.  It was a deep dive into the rigors of losing campaigns. Over the next several...