For the past 28 years or so I have written a New Year’s column. In the beginning it was a sort of a tongue-in-cheek type of piece, me making resolutions for other persons or organizations simply because I averred that it was useless to make them for myself. The reasoning here was why fix what ain’t broke.
I met with a fair amount of protest. There are some folks out there who found fault with me in a number of categories and made note of this. Sadly there were members of my own household who brought these peccadilloes to my attention. My late wife, Zula, was one of these. To keep peace in the family I sort of changed my tune and admitted to a few errors, rather reluctantly, I might add.
My New Year’s column should have appeared last week but circumstances dictated otherwise.
However, if one reads this space on the day that the papers hit the streets he still has 359 days to make those resolutions so critically needed and to break them just as fast.
I would like to start with elected officials and those in fairly high places.
The other day writer George Skelton in the L.A. Times suggested that the governor get out more and meet with the people, that is, the folks who put him in that office. I fully agree. In our particular case it should be those members of the city council and those high on the echelon of county and school officials.
They all could take a lesson from the book of Supervisor Greg Cox. He gets around and has the pulse reading of nearly everyone.
Plush offices with large mahogany desks are nice. But plush offices and desks don’t cast votes. We implore elected officials and school superintendents. Get out and speak formally to groups, Kiwanis, Rotary, Optimists and other such clubs and even some informal gatherings.
We want to save a separate portion for the Southwestern Community College. They, in a sense, are starting from scratch.
A newly appointed Superintendent/President, Dr. Melinda Nish will lead our lone institute of higher learning. We will meet with Dr. Nish in the very near future. One of our emphases will be the concept of the word “community” in the college’s title. Young people attend the college to get educated. But there are some of us who have been through that action and would now enjoy concerts, plays, and other forms of entertainment, all well within the capabilities of Southwestern.
While we are on the subject of Southwestern we might as well make a resolution for Dr. Terry Russell who heads the choral music department. We hope that she resolves to have a springtime program of music and she sees that I get the word. No better way to spend a Sunday afternoon.
We start the Bonita Museum by first commending them. The staff, board and volunteers have done an outstanding job this past year. The director, Julie Gay, and the dedicated work of Tom Pocklington, Barbara Scott, and the many docents, folks like Caroline Gibbs, Jim Thompson, and many others have made the museum a Southbay show place. May they resolve to continue their work and add other attractions that enhance the education of the rest of us.
Then there are the aforementioned service clubs and others like the Sweetwater Woman’s Club, Las Primeras, the Retired Teachers Association, the Bonita Business and Professional Association and the personnel at my old haunt, the Bonita Golf Club. These units all do a great job in the community. Their important occupation is helping that other fellow who might feel a bit low because of unknown circumstances. We resolve for them: continue the good work.
And lastly I should throw in a resolution or two for myself. This is rather simple since all I have to do is dust off previous resolutions of the past.
I hope to continue writing in this space as long as it meets with the reader’s approval. And when it doesn’t I hope I have sense enough to quit.
