25 years!

August 20, 2006, I suddenly realized that on August 20, 1981, I walked into City Hall on my first day as City Manager. Today is my 25th Anniversary as City Manager!

Would I do it again. You bet! I remember how I considered all the factors before accepting my first City Manager job, thinking of all the challenges and risks. Somehow, I knew from the start it was for me.

One of the first things I realized was that my jokes suddenly became funnier! (Of course, I knew the real reason!)

Although I can always see places where I would have done different in retrospect, I do feel I learned from my mistakes. Although I occasionally repeat my mistakes, I find myself repeating fewer and fewer of them, and, of course, occasionally making new ones.

Several years ago, at a Toastmasters meeting, I was asked what would I do if I won a large prize, such as 50 million dollars. I thought about it, and finally decided I wouldn’t really change anything, except perhaps buy a better car etc., but I certainly wouldn’t quit as City Manager!

Some brief history, when I was a small child, although I grew up on a farm, I played “City Manager”, although I didn’t call it that. I had rocks and sticks for cars and buildings and I built several enterprising “cities” and played for hours managing the cities.

I started working for a city when I was in high school. I mowed streets, parks, the cemetery and helped locate water lines etc. One of my most memorable moments was when the Water Superintendent and I tore up a yard and I first heard the phrase “ I’m going to sue”. (We actually got it worked out. I found I had the “gift” of finding water lines with a wire coat hanger and that is how we located them after that.)

I actually got my first career job with a City because I got “stood up” for a date. I was attending Wichita State University for my Masters Degree and had just finished my degree requirements. While I was dejectedly driving back after I realized my “date” was not there, at a job light, one of my Professors pulled up along side of me and yelled about a job opening at a City in western Kansas.

I called him the next day, sent in my application and got the job as “Assistant to the City Manager”. The City Manager showed me my office and advised me my job was to “get a grant” to revitalize a section of the City. (This was in October of 1974).

One special situation I remember is during my first few months on the job is standing in line for a movie and I looked at the people and a chill went down my back when I thought, “I help improve their daily lives by my work”. The chill has never left. I enjoy my job and I enjoy working for cities and especially with the residents, elected officials, volunteer boards and other City personnel. Everyone may have different beliefs on what to do, but almost all have the goal of improving the community.

The 25 years (and the 32 years of working for cities) has gone fast. I find it fulfilling that I still look forward to going to work after 32 years and I can’t think of anything I would rather do!

The Summer of 2006

The Summer of 2006 is slowly winding down. Fortunately, I like hot weather and Summer, so it is my favorite time of the year, and I always kind of dread the coming of Fall. While I enjoy Fall also, it means that Winter (especially the months of January, February and March) are close behind and those months seem to drag.

I have been riding my new “Trek” bike a lot more, in spite of the heat. As noted above, I enjoy hot weather, so it doesn’t really bother me. I try to walk first thing in the morning, than “bicycle” on a stationary bike a the health club and then bicycle “for real” at night and on weekends.

I find I can see so much more by bicycle and each ride develops its own pattern. I’m still not sure if I like the Trek (which is a “hybrid”) better than a mountain bike, but I am getting used to it and enjoying the ride.

I just had my annual physical. I guess you could say I “passed”. The Doctor did say my thyroid activity was not as high was it should be, which may explain why I had a sudden gain in weight several months ago and have had a horrible time losing it. (No, it’s NOT just an excuse, I hope!) I am taking some medicine for it and we will see.

We love our house in Lakeland. I spend a lot of time sitting on the back patio looking at the trees, or more specifically, reading or working on the computer and enjoying the presence of the trees. I have seen the summer go from tree frogs and bull frogs to cicadas. The cicadas, for some odd reason, always bring back memories of my childhood on the farm and it really seems like summer when the cicadas are active. I enjoy hearing them.

The bullfrogs are VERY impressive! I can imagine how big they are (although I was advised they are 6 inches or so). From the sound, I wouldn’t want to meet them in a dark alley!

Reflections on becoming 59

Happy Birthday to me! I never thought I would REALLY be 59 years old! Actually, thank goodness it’s not bad. I actually enjoy growing older (gradually, please), and don’t really wish I could be younger.

I guess each stage of life has its good and bad points.

One think I don’t like about growing older is this feeling of a lack of time. It really focuses you on what is important-or at least what SHOULD be important. However, I still manage to lose myself in dithering and doing minor tasks.

I don’t mean sitting on my back patio and hearing the wind blow through the trees and hear the cicadas buzz (if that is the right word) in the background. That is one of the essentials! I will enjoy Summer while it is here! I especially enjoy sitting on my back patio in the morning and reading the paper and drinking coffee!

I’m not sure where I thought I would be at 59 years old when I was a child. I can remember thinking of it as such a vague idea, somehow a concept that would never develop.

Thank goodness “60 is the new 40” (or maybe even the new 30). I still ride my bike, walk every morning, enjoy dancing and otherwise enjoy life. I think where I was even 20 years ago and a lot happened in that time!

I think 39 ½ probably bothered me more than anything, probably more to do with some major changes I was going through as much as being 39 ½. 40 didn’t bother me, although I still have the button “40 isn’t old if you’re a tree”. 50 was a breeze (I had just gotten married!) and the fifties flew, although actually I still have one year left!

I’m not really looking forward to retirement. I enjoy my work too much. I figure I will retire in 2016, which will mean I can “walk on the stage” in 2015 to receive my 40 year certificate (40 years in City Management, although not all of it was as City Manager) and then retire after the Holidays. (The worst part of the year for me is February and March, and, to some degree April, since it seems to take forever for it to get warm.)

Such are the reflections on becoming 59 years old.

Courter Reunion 2006 memories

We had a wonderful Courter Reunion in Topeka, Kansas. We really enjoyed the opportunity to visit and catch up on what has happened. As usual, I also hear new stories about past events I didn’t recall or that throw a new slant on the past!

One thing I am really thankful for-since I can’t pick my relatives, I am so glad I really enjoy the ones I have! I always look forward to the Courter Reunion. We used to go up just on the day of the Reunion (Sunday), but with time and distance, it now has grown to many of us coming up on Friday (or even Thursday) and staying until Monday, or any days in between!

Next year it will be in Lakeland/Memphis, so I hope everyone plans on a long stay. There is so much to do and I enjoy the opportunity to visit.

Courter Reunion 2006 will be remembered by Aliene and I (and Angela, Kali and Katherine) as rather an epic journey. It started on Monday, when we picked up Angela, Kali and Katherine in Little Rock. (Unless you get an air ticket at least 21 days in advance, Southwest Air is the only way to go. We pick up a lot of people (and take a lot of flights to and from) Little Rock, and, to some degree Nashville. Unfortunately, Southwest Air does not fly to Memphis. Northwest Air is great because of the direct non/stop flights (Memphis is a hub) and Delta is good because we have a Delta credit credit and get some free flights and 2/1 flights, but Southwest to Little Rock or Nashville is always there in the event we need it!

We drove back to Lakeland. Since I had a Board of Commissioners Monday night, they played in the park etc.

On Tuesday, we rode the trolley in downtown Memphis, went to the Childrens Museum, “Corky’s” (probably one of the best of the many outstanding BBQ places in Memphis, and just drove around. Wednesday, we went to “Mud Island” (riding the mono-rail), ate at the Hard Rock Café, went to the Brooks Museum of Art, drove through Harbor Town etc. and again just showed them Lakeland and the area.

Thursday, it was time to head for Topeka. We left in the early afternoon and stopped in St. Louis and headed up to Topeka early Friday morning. The two girls (6 & 3) were great.

The Reunion started as soon as we arrived (Eleanor, Kim and Rebecca, followed closely by others) and we thoroughly enjoyed it.

We went through Oklahoma City and dropped Angela, Kali and Katherine off and then headed on to Lakeland, stopping Monday night at our “favorite” hotel, the Hampton Inn at exit 55 in Clarksville Arkansas. If you ever get a chance to stay there, do so! It is really a wonderful hotel. I wish it was in or near Lakeland so we could have our family reunion there!

The last few years we have always looked forward to the Courter Reunion as a high point of our year. We are really looking forward to welcoming everyone to Lakeland next year.

It is strange to realize my generation is now part of the “older” generation, although we are fortunate that some of what I called the “older generation” when I was a child are still attending! I think that is the value of Reunions, to see the flow of the generations, and get a chance to visit and reflect on your life as well as just have fun.

As I reflect on the Courter Reunion, again, I think of how thankful I am that I like my relatives!

While we were in Kansas, I realized I had forgotten the HOT Kansas wind. It has been hot and dry in Kansas and I saw signs of the disastrous lack of rain.