Category: History

Rise up a genuine leader

Rise up a genuine leader
Who is driven by moral character and integrity
Who commits to truth and responsibility
Who models personal discipline and accountability
Who earns respect by giving it
Who is humble in self-imperfections and gracious in others’
Who nurtures trust and collaboration

Rise up a genuine leader
Who is we-oriented, not me-oriented
Who articulates vision with clarity and infuses pride in purpose
Who disables barriers to people development
Who confronts social ills with positive solutions
Who seeks understanding and resolutions in contentions
Who fosters creativity and inspires hope

Rise up a genuine leader
Who can undo chaos and create order
Who is composed instead of clamorous
Who promotes diversity of viewpoints in unity of purpose
Who invests in people and worthy dreams
Who is transparent, trustworthy, and teachable
Who upholds faith in a better future and spurs actions toward it

Rise up a genuine leader
Who values people and ideas over profit
Who knows virtue sustains character, but its absence destroys it
Who is considerate instead of caustic
Who brings competence with candor
Who discerns realities with compassion and directs resolutions with care
Who influences people to mutually elevate lives, institutions, and ideals.

Rise up a genuine leader
Who is attentive to needs of the people and builds their spirit
Who overcomes personal ego, arrogance, and unethical behavior
Who rejects conflict mongering
Who is consistent and persistent in value-added contributions
Who equips and empowers other leaders
Who builds an enduring legacy of transformational results

Grandmother Carrie

My grandmother Carrie was born on this date 125 years ago. She was the fourth child of Charles and Ida, proud carriers of the Von Steuben family name, and collateral descendants of the Revolutionary War hero, Baron Von Steuben, Inspector General of the Continental Army at Valley Forge.

Carrie Von Steuben on her wedding day June 30, 1923.

But her entire life was completely influenced by the death of her father four months before she was born. On September 6, 1899, The Easton Daily Express reported the tragic news:

STEUBEN’S INJURIES FATAL
Charles Steuben, 28 years old, of Nazareth, the brakeman on the Easton & Northern railroad who had his skull fractured last week by being struck by an overhead bridge at Nazareth, died at that place at 4 o’clock this morning. He was standing on top of a freight car at the time the accident occurred. The deceased man leaves a widow and three children.

Charles Von Steuben’s photo added to an image of the memorial flowers from the Railroad’s Freight Crew.

That’s a three-sentence summation of a three-second accident that has eternal ramifications for those who survived, as well as many who were yet to be born.

One month later, the Northampton County Orphans Court appointed a guardian “for the purposes of executing a release in behalf of the aforesaid minors to the Bangor & Portland Railway Company, releasing and discharging any and all damages or actions for damages for an injury received by the said Charles A. Von Steuben, while in the Employ of the Bangor & Portland Railway Company and resulting in his death, in consideration of Twenty Five dollars a month for a period of ten years.”

But despite the Court’s assistance, grandma Carrie was born into hardship January 24, 1900, which unfortunately grew quickly worse. Just months later, her two brothers, Floyd, 7, and Barron, 5, died 31 days apart, likely from a common childhood disease, leaving just one sibling, sister Elnora. I can’t help wonder if such stresses contributed to widow Ida’s untimely death at the young age of 34, leaving Carrie orphaned at age 9.

Carrie’s older siblings: Floyd, Barron, and Elnora Von Steuben

The poor sisters were placed in foster homes, not so much to assimilate into families, as to work for them. Carrie went to work for the Fritz family in the Victorian-era farmhouse in rural Moore Township, near the bottom of the hill leading up to Chapman Quarries.

And there’s where Charles’ fateful day continues a legacy that affects me personally. For if Carrie hadn’t been orphaned, she likely wouldn’t have moved out of the family home, or enrolled in the Chapman Quarries schoolhouse, or met her husband Joe Herd, or raised her own herd of Herds. And the rest, as they say, wouldn’t have been history.

2024 Reading Roundup

Books have brought me into worlds I wouldn’t otherwise know

This past year’s reading has brought me into worlds and cultures I wouldn’t otherwise know. I have visited Nazi Germany (three times), ancient Palestine, Soviet Russia, Revolutionary Russia, Cold War Europe, South Africa, Victorian Australia, Spanish colonization, Antarctica, even those spheres of oppression, depression, gene editing, scientific research, cosmology, and quantum physics.

These books have taught me more about myself and those around me. I have reveled in the wonders of my own body, and have gained insights into wellness, happiness, and better working and personal relationships.

These books have ignited my imagination through creative storytelling. I’ve entered several classic tales for the first time, and have revisited some inspiring old favorites.

These books have expanded my knowledge in a great many subjects: natural, geologic, and cultural history; economics, public policy, activism; exploitation, greed, commerce, philanthropy; psychology, volunteer organizing, and leadership in philosophical differences and changing cultures. And so much more!

My favorites and recommendations are noted with an asterisk. But here are my special mentions:

  • Most satisfying ending: Angel of Vengeance
  • Most surprising over what I thought I knew about it: Tarzan of the Apes
  • Most over my head: The Physics of Immortality
  • Most annoying: HHhH (author reports true things, then confesses he made them up)
  • Most wide-ranging scope: Saving the Redwoods
  • Most spiritually revealing: New Morning Mercies
  • Most enjoyable biography/memoir: Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story
  1. * Destined to Witness: Growing Up Black in Nazi Germany, Hans J. Massaquoi
  2. The Handbook for Health: 5 Essential Pillars for Optimized Wellness, Dr. Christopher Turnpaugh with Dr. Cynthia West
  3. The 6 Types of Working Genius: a Better Way to Understand Your Frustrations and Your Team, Patrick Lencioni
  4. * The Body: a Guide for Occupants, Bill Bryson
  5. * Only One Year: How Joseph Stalin’s Daughter Broke Through the Iron Curtain, Svetlana Alliluyeva
  6. The Millionaires, Brad Meltzner
  7. Name All the Animals: a Memoir, Alison Smith
  8. * The Blue Zones of Happiness: Lessons from the World’s Happiest People, Dan Buettner
  9. * The Code Breaker: Jennifer Doudna, Gene Editing and the Future of the Human Race, Walter Isaacson
  10. * From the Earth to the Moon, Jules Vern
  11. A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There, Aldo Leopold
  12. * Inkheart, Cornelia Funke
  13. * Inkspell, Cornelia Funke
  14. * Inkdeath, Cornelia Funke
  15. * The Noticer, Andy Andrews
  16. HHhH “Himmler’s brain is called Heydrich”, Laurent Binet
  17. Bethlehem, Karen Kelly
  18. Homecoming, Kate Morton
  19. The Trail, Robert Whitlow
  20. Cry, the Beloved Country, Alan Paton
  21. * The Last Days of Night, Graham Moore
  22. * Still Life With Crows, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  23. * Shackleton’s Stowaway, Victoria McKernan
  24. The Magician’s Nephew, C.S. Lewis
  25. White Fire, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  26. Three Sisters, Heather Morris
  27. * Tuck Everlasting, Natalie Babbitt
  28. Murder in the Lincoln Bedroom, Elliot Roosevelt
  29. * The Scorpion’s Tail, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  30. The Leader’s Greatest Return: Attracting, Developing and Multiplying Leaders, John C. Maxwell
  31. Mayday, Nelson DeMille and Thomas Block
  32. * The Oath, Frank Peretti
  33. Community Recreation and Parks Handbook, Sue Landes
  34. Financing Municipal Recreation and Parks, Sue Landes
  35. Absolute Friends, John le Carré
  36. * The Day the World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, Jim DeFede
  37. Humorous Stories and Sketches, Mark Twain
  38. Murders on Alcatraz, George DeVincenzi
  39. * Palisades Park, Alan Brennert
  40. Skin: Revenge is Beautiful, Ted Dekker
  41. * A Gentleman in Moscow, Amor Towles
  42. * Tarzan of the Apes, Edgar Rice Burroughes
  43. Just Tell Them I Love Them: a Hospice Chaplain’s Invitation to Live Well, Helen Burke
  44. * Take This Cup, Bodie and Brock Thoene
  45. The First 90 Days: Proven Strategies for Getting Up to Speed Faster and Smarter, Michael D. Watkins
  46. * Saving the Redwoods: The Movement to Rescue a Wonder of the Natural World, Joseph H. Engbeck, Jr.
  47. * Eternal, Lisa Scottoline
  48. * Sunday Nights at Seven: The Jack Benny Story by Jack Benny and his daughter Joan
  49. The Best Christmas Pageant Ever, Barbara Roobinson
  50. * Healing Stones, Nancy Rue and Stephen Arterburn
  51. * Angel of Vengeance, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  52. The Physics of Immortality: Modern Cosmology, God and the Resurrection of the Dead, Frank J. Tippler
  53. * New Morning Mercies: A Daily Gospel Devotional, Paul David Tripp

More from Vancouver

Part 2 of our visit to British Columbia

From Vancouver, we drove north along the coast to picturesque Porteau Cove Provincial Marine Park. Situated on the most southerly fjord in North America, the park offers waterfront campsites with a view over Howe Sound to the mountains beyond. Purposely sunk in the cove is an old boat to attract scuba divers and other marine life.

But our main objective that day was the Britannia Mine Museum National Historic Site at Britannia Beach. Once an isolated company town, it supported one of the largest copper producing mines in the British Empire—with 240 km of tunnels in the mountains above it. It lies within the territory of the Squamish Nation, who had lived along the river banks for thousands of years, but had no permanent large settlements because of the mountains’ steep slopes right into the water.

The third and largest mill built on that site was erected 101 years ago, and processed 2,500 tons of ore per day, but eventually closed down in 1974. The raw ore entered at the top of the 20-story mill that crushed and ground it in each successive floor until the valuable metals and minerals were separated from the waste rock.

Before we entered the mill, though, we enjoyed a short tour by mine car through a section of the tunnel system. As we entered the bottom floor of the old mill built into the side of the mountain, we gaped up at its enormity. But the most memorable part of that visit was a truly clever and engaging light, sound, and live-action immersive show that interpreted how the old mill operated within that architectural marvel. (I’ve been in the educational/interpretational field for more than 40 years, and that’s the best presentation I’ve ever seen. If you’re going out of your way to coastal British Columbia, I recommend the tour!)

After the tour, we stopped at Shannon Falls Provincial Park to once again gaze upward toward mount and sky to soak in the sights and sounds of the gushing falls and rushing river.

Before we flew cross-country home, we made it a day in Vancouver’s famous Stanley Park. Larger than New York City’s Central Park (the natives are proud to boast!), the west coastal rainforest offers fantastic interaction with scenic waterfronts, majestic trees and mountains, and an abundance of cherished natural assets and cultural/historic riches.

We leisurely clopped along in an hour-long horse-drawn carriage tour, pulled by a pair of Percherons, with stops at Deadman’s Island, Totem Poles, Brockton Point Lighthouse, Lumberman’s Arch, and the Girl in the Wetsuit Statue—a takeoff of Denmark’s famous little mermaid. On our own power, we also visited the Lions Gate Bridge, the Vancouver Aquarium, Prospect Point, Third Beach, and Jericho Beach. From our elevated position, we were able to watch an enormous cargo ship leaving the Vancouver harbor.

Our red-eye flight home left at midnight from Vancouver, with a three-hour layover in Chicago starting at dawn, circling down over Lake Michigan. We arrived home via an Uber ride from our local airport at 12:30 pm. We ended our adventures with a drop-dead nap in our own bed, but with glad and thankful hearts for the full, enriching experience.

The Grange Fair

150th edition!

We were pleased to attend the 150th annual Centre County Grange Encampment and Fair this week. The historic affair started in 1874 as an extension of the National Grange to improve the economic wellbeing of farmers, a group particularly hard hit by the aftermath of the Civil War and economic downturn.

It was lovely. It was not stinking hot, nor humid, nor rainy, nor muddy, nor particularly crowded. And! It was Seniors Day, so our admission was gratefully free!

But it was not our first visit. In 1976, the singing/touring group I was a part of, Re-Creation, performed on the Grange Stage with a patriotic afternoon show in our red-white-and-blues, and in the evening, in our gowns and leisure suits with our Christian program. What I remember most was that it was quite cold that evening: we guys buttoned up our lime green leisure suits right to the neck, covering up our lusciously large, pointy-lapelled shirts with the large green triangles on them. What you can’t see from this image is our two-toned green vinyl shoes!

For comparison, here’s a pic of the same stage this week with the famous Van-Dells performing in their farewell tour. As you can see, the little shed situated right on the stage deck is gone, and they’ve built a full-sized grandstand. The only thing’s the same, even though you can’t see it, is the mountain in the distance.

Anyway, we enjoyed viewing the competitive crafts, canned goods, fresh vegetables, prize-winning boxes of hay, and livestock – even the light farm tractor pulls. You can’t see those just anywhere anymore. Here are a few views of the wares and encampment. Sorry no animal pics this time, although we did visit the beef and dairy cows, goats, rabbits, chickens, sheep, and swine stalls.

Seattle: where the point of view is the point!

My son once critiqued a movie as just a series of people staring at things. And I think he was justified in that one. But in our recent first-time visit to Seattle, Washington, we found that staring at things is what we did most productively.

First, I had a professional purpose to the trip: the city was hosting Greater & Greener, a biennial international urban parks conference for urban planners, park innovators, and policymakers. (I missed the last forum two years ago, hosted in Philadelphia in my home state, because that’s the week I suffered a passing-out case of covid!)

So the prime point of view was first to learn from the expertise and vision of those around the globe who are doing remarkable work in harnessing the power of parks to create more sustainable, resilient, vibrant, and equitable cities. Its opening reception was held at Pier 62 Waterfront Park, and its closing reception at the Seattle landmark and National Register of Historic Place Gas Works Park at Lake Union. Enlightening and beautiful!

But of course, while we were there, we took in the peculiar, picturesque sights of the city—starting with the famous Space Needle, with views from the ground, our hotel window, and from its top—from its rotating glass floor.

We toured The Marketplace, with its crowded cacophony of fishy smells, offbeat wares, cafes, retail niches, and sideshows. We rode the city’s famous Monorail, built for the 1962 Seattle World’s Fair, sitting right up front next to the young driver who engaged us in conversation about its unique history. We walked the fascinating streets, marveling at the variety of transportation methods, its quaint nooks, and its gleaming modernity. We gaped at the Norwegian Bliss, a cruise ship of 22 decks (!) docked at the terminal on Pier 66.

We particularly enjoyed the Chihuly Garden and Glass Museum featuring the career work of artist Dale Chihuly in eight galleries, a centerpiece Glasshouse, and a lush garden.

We very much found Seattle—with its uncommonly good weather during our stay—a particularly enticing city with a rich palette of intellectual, visual, cultural, and historic vistas. 5 stars.

Commencements revisited

50 years a graduate

Fifty years ago today, I graduated from high school. Photographic proof: My sideburns and me accepting our diploma from the school board president.

Northampton Area High School does a classy thing each year when it invites alumni who had graduated 50 years previously to attend the current class’s Commencement exercises.

More than 100 of my classmates returned to a reception in our honor, and mingled with vaguely familiar people who reminded us of old friends we used to know! (What a half-century can do to a person!)

Under perfect weather for an evening outdoors, we were privileged to sit behind the graduating class in the very same stadium in which we had last assembled. Each of us was respectfully introduced by name, before ceremonies moved forward with the speeches and business at hand. And at sunset, we stood and sang the Alma Mater with our younger mates, with lyrics that—remarkably!—came back to mind.

Speaking of privilege, the historic day’s other momentous event must be called out. 80 years ago, and 30 years prior to our own day in the sun, boys about the same age that we were then died in the D-Day Operation of June 6, 1944, in the largest amphibious invasion in military history. The sacrifices of our parents’ generation for ours, and for those of today, cannot be overappreciated. We stand on the crucial—and at times sacrificial and heroic—work of those who have preceded us. May it ever be so with each generation’s contributions to the future good of society. Here’s to the Class of 2024!

When the unexpected arrives

I wish you grace

Four years ago today my organization canceled its largest-ever statewide conference, just four days before it was to begin, due to the emerging pandemic.

Today is the start of this year‘s conference. And we have returned to same venue for the first time since the “Greatest Conference That Ever Wasn’t.”

And when I opened my daily devotional this morning (New Morning Mercies, by Paul David Tripp), I see my note in the margin from the last time I used this book four years ago.

Tripp’s particularly timely reminder for this day: “You are always facing the unexpected. Almost daily you are required to deal with something you wouldn’t have chosen for your life…“

Today, and every time you face the unexpected, I wish you grace.

From sap to syrup

the history, lore, and how-to behind this sweet treat

If you’re a fan of maple syrup, you’ll love my little book about the history, lore, and how-to behind this unique North American treat. Learn the Natives’ stories, the methods of the colonists, and the modern innovations that make syruping a $1.4 billion global industry.

But if you’d like to try a little do-it-yourself sugaring in your backyard, this is also the source to help identify your maples, properly tap them, and boil off the sap to make your own home-grown sweetness. Recipes included!

And even if not, you’ll still want to get out and enjoy a maple festival near you, conducted by your friendly neighborhood naturalist.

Storey Publishing outdid itself in the highly attractive design of this perennial favorite, and I remain grateful to their fantastic editorial and production staff!

Reading Roundup 2023

The most impactful book to me in 2023 was one I wrote with my wife Carol and our youngest son. Stepping Stones: our pathfinding adventures with Asperger’s is our growth journey from accepting “that’s just Philip,” to obtaining a diagnosis on the autism spectrum, to learning how to cope and still succeed. From the distinct advantage of countless wayfinding steps more than 20 years in the making, we offer pragmatic guidance, self-help encouragement, and real reason for hope to all parents and caregivers of children with autism spectrum disorder. tinyurl.com/4c6bxw4s

I try to read widely, for both intellectual development and entertainment. Not all my choices pertain directly to my work, or even my personal interests. Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States, recommended to me by my physicist son, wasn’t one I’d have chosen on my own, but it did augment what I learned from the Oppenheimer film this year. Even fiction, when it represents a divergent point of view, can add to my useful stores of knowledge. Ilana’s Love, a book by my friend (which, despite the inference from its title is not a romance novel—a genre I usually do ignore!), furnished a thought-provoking perspective on relationships.

I re-read all 4,100 pages of the 7-volume Harry Potter series, (the first published 26 years ago!) enjoying many details and nuances not found in the films. J.K. Rowling is a master of originality, dialog, character development, and plot complexities.

Is it just me, or are subtitles are getting longer all the time? But then there’s John Grisham, whose obviously successful title formula is: “The __.” Nonetheless, the subtitles do help me better remember the content afterward.

The complete list of those I’ve read last year follows, but here are my personal citations for those I’ve found most captivating, memorable, or practical in the following categories:

Work-related: Herding Tigers: Be the Leader That Creative People Need
Biography: Leonardo da Vinci
History: The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush
Science: An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us
Nonfiction: Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home
Business: Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry’s
Spiritual: Experiencing God Day by Day
Fiction: What Rose Forgot, and The Man Who Died Twice

  1. Vanishing Grace: What Ever Happened to the Good News?, Philip Yancy
  2. Storytizing: What’s Next After Advertising? Bob Pearson
  3. The Klondike Fever: The Life and Death of the Last Great Gold Rush, Pierre Berton
  4. The Freedom of Self-Forgiveness: The Path to True Christian Joy, Timothy Keller
  5. A Wild Idea: How the Environmental Movement Tamed the Adirondacks, Brad Edmundson
  6. Black Ice, Brad Thor
  7. The Case For Easter: A Journalist Investigates the Evidence for the Resurrection, Lee Strobel
  8. The Cabinet of Dr. Leng, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  9. Seeing Red, Sandra Brown
  10. Jerks at Work: How to Deal with People Problems and Problem People, Ken Lloyd
  11. Born a Yankee, Grace Carstens
  12. Missing Witness, Gordon Campbell
  13. Ilana’s Love, Laurel West
  14. Relic, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  15. Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors, Piers Paul Read
  16. Miracle in the Andes: 72 Days on the Mountain and My Long Trek Home, Nando Parrado with Vince Rause
  17. The Book of Lies, Brad Meltzner
  18. The Measure of All Things: The Seven-Year Odyssey and Hidden Error That Transformed the World, Ken Alder
  19. Sea of Tranquility, Emily St. John Mandel
  20. Reliquary, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
  21. What Rose Forgot, Nevada Barr
  22. Ice Cream Social: The Struggle for the Soul of Ben & Jerry’s, Brad Edmundson
  23. The Book of Fate, Brad Meltzner
  24. Once Upon a Wardrobe, Patti Callahan
  25. Becoming Mrs. Lewis, Patti Callahan
  26. What’s Wrong With Me? A Journal of Emotional Healing in a Broken World, Royce Alan Alford
  27. Leonardo da Vinci, Wallter Isaacson
  28. Stepping Stones: Our pathfinding adventure with Asperger’s, Tim and Carol Herd with Philip Herd
  29. An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us, Ed Yong
  30. The Outermost House: A Year of Life on the Great Beach of Cape Cod, Henry Beston
  31. 13½, Nevada Barr
  32. Love Me, Garrison Keillor
  33. Restricted Data: The History of Nuclear Secrecy in the United States, Alex Wellerstein
  34. Address Unknown, Katherine Kressman Taylor
  35. Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore, Robin Sloan
  36. The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry, John Mark Comer
  37. The Judge’s List, John Grisham
  38. The Troop, Nick Cutter
  39. The Whistler, John Grisham
  40. The Reckoning, John Grisham
  41. What Was Rescued, Jane Bailey
  42. Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone, J.K. Rowling
  43. Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets, J.K. Rowling
  44. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban, J.K. Rowling
  45. Molly’s Pilgrim, Barba Cohen
  46. Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, J.K. Rowling
  47. The Bullet That Missed, Richard Osman
  48. Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, J.K. Rowling
  49. Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, J.K. Rowling
  50. Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, J.K. Rowling
  51. Getting Through the Tough Stuff: It’s Always Something, Charles Swindoll
  52. Herding Tigers: Be the Leader That Creative People Need, Todd Henry
  53. The Man Who Died Twice, Richard Osman
  54. Experiencing God Day by Day, Henry Blackaby and Richard Blackaby
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