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Bridget Got the Job!

| March 12, 2024 | 0 Comments

Bridget accepted the job at the Zoma Foundation and I couldn’t be more proud of her. It’s a huge accomplishment for her. She had decided that Soccer Without Borders was not giving her what she needed. It simply could not pay her a “living wage.” So, even though she loved the organization and its mission, she decided she had to leave. And she took the bold step of announcing her departure date before having another job.

Since the departure was three months hence, she did have hope that she would have gotten a job before she left. Unfortunately, that did not happen, so she’s been plagued with self doubt (a hereditary trait) throughout the process. Fortunately, all her decisions and choices have been vindicated, at least based on what we know now. Zoma, a foundation started by an heir to the Walton family fortune, looks like an awesome organization that is new and growing. Focusing on child welfare, it is an innovative nonprofit that is going to teach Bridget a lot. They seem to be on the cutting edge of many new approaches to philanthropy. I’m so proud of her and very happy for her.

Oh, and by the way, she will be almost doubling her compensation. So, there’s that.

Bridget Makes the Final Round

| February 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

Bridget’s been informed that, after many, many interviews with everybody at the Walton Foundation, she’s been invited back to me the “principle,” Ben Walton. We are all excited and nervous. The meeting is Tuesday morning in Denver.

Obviously, there are two possibilities. Either, she’s been chosen and they just need the blessing of a family member. Or the the family member gets two options so that he makes the final decision. No way to know which it is.

I remember my final interview at Fleishman Hillard. After an eight month process, having met about 10 people, I had to meet Rick Sullivan, the outgoing GM of the Washington office. I went in thinking it was just another in a long line of “culture” checks. So, I was pretty relaxed.

At one point during the conversation, I said, “If I were to get the job….”

Rick stopped me there and said, “Wait! You got the job. Didn’t they tell you? This meeting is just a formality.”

I said, “Oh. Thanks.”

I hope that’s what’s in store for Bridget.

Storytelling by David Sedaris

| February 24, 2024 | 0 Comments

https://images.app.goo.gl/6kCVBswoxGveR6rS6

I love listening to David Sedaris. To the extent I ever imagined myself to be a writer, I would want to be like him. He tells brilliantly funny stories that are full of self deprecation and insightful commentary.

On a crazy whim, I bought a subscription of MasterClass for Christmas. I justified it to myself by taking advantage of a special deal that got you two subscriptions for the price of one. And I gave one to my daughter, Bridget. She just left her job at Soccer Without Borders and was entering a period of change, self improvement and reflection. I thought she might benefit from classes taught by famous people. It’s only two months into the subscription, but I think I was wrong. I don’t think she’s watched a single one. And I haven’t watched as much as I thought I would.

Tonight, I watch two classes by David Sedaris and I really liked them. He has inspired me to write more to this blog….at least temporarily. I do got through ebbs and flows when it comes to writing. Mostly ebbs. But maybe this time it will be different.

My plan is to write little stories about things that have happened in my life. That should give me some material. And I’ll try to incorporate David’s sensibility. The way he finds the humor in every day experiences.

Maybe I’ll get a rhythm and also post photography.

We’ll see….

A Visit to the Udvar Hazy Air & Space Museum

| February 19, 2024 | 0 Comments

I went on a field trip to the Udvar Hazy Air and Space Museum near Dulles Airport yesterday. The main purpose was to expose my grandson, Kieran, to the wonders of human flight. It turned out better than I expected. They have a truly impressive collection of equipment, from the origins of flight on bicycles with wings to the landing on the moon. It is kind of amazing that the time distance from one to the other was about 60 years.

In any event, here’s a gallery of pictures from the visit.

My Friend Samer

| January 3, 2024 | 0 Comments
Recent Photo of Samer (L) with My Co Chair for the Meeting, Jay Footlik

In the late 1990’s soon after the Oslo Accords that provided some hope for peace in the Middle East, I participated in a program designed to teach political communications skills to young political leaders from Israel and the Palestinian areas. We met in Paphos, Cyprus, followed by visits to Israel, the West Bank and Gaza. There were eight “delegates” from each side drawn from the Fatah Party for the Palestinians and the governing Likud Party from Israel. It was an extraordinary group of young people who were willing to explore the possibilities that Oslo provided. The whole experience was life changing for me.

The leader of the Palestinian group was Samer Sinijlawi, a truly extraordinary young man in his twenties, wise beyond his years, who showed a zest for life and a world view that was both realistic and optimistic. His leadership skills were very apparent, even at that young age. Let’s just say that the group of Palestinians were very passionate and he had his hands full as their leader. He seemed destined for great things in the new circumstances that Oslo promised. I haven’t seen him in decades, but I’ve often thought of him while watching developments in the Middle East. Frankly, I worried about the safety of him and his family. And I wondered if he had maintained his positive attitude in the face of so many set backs since we’d last met.

Then, last week I read the attached op ed in the New York Times, bravely written by Samer. Like anyone who cares about the people in Israel and the Palestinian areas, I grieve deeply about recent developments. The suffering on both sides is unimaginable. It is a horrific situation that has, I assume, caused many people in the region to simply give up on peace. But apparently not Samer. His extremely well-written and courageous column actually gave me hope. And reminded me of my deep admiration for Samer. He remains a true leader. I hope and pray that his voice is heard by all people of goodwill who can still see the light in these very dark times.

Fuller 70 for 70

| June 20, 2023 | 0 Comments

Yesterday, we rode 80 miles, which gave me the opportunity to do my 70 miles for my 70th birthday. My previous two attempts ended prematurely with unfixable blowouts. The ride was delightful. Strained a bit at the end and was always anxious that a hard bump would generate a flat.

But I made it and it felt good. Even more importantly, I felt like I’m prepared for this week. I don’t usually train for these rides, but this time I did, sort of. Certainly did more riding that I ever have in anticipation of a ride.

Here’s the Moment I Hit 70 Miles

Fuller – American Pie

| June 18, 2023 | 0 Comments

One of the unexpected periodic opportunities I get from the Fuller rides is to experience pop and rock song lyrics. On a previous ride, I was “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.” On another trip, we stayed in Tonopah, made famous in Linda Ronstadt’s song, Willin’ with the lyric, “I’ve been from Tucson to Tucumcari, Tehachapi to Tonopah”. I’ve also seen a “dead skunk in the middle of the road,” made famous by Loudon Wainwright III.

Last night, I checked another box. The song is American Pie by Don McLean. The lyric is “drove my Chevy to the Levy and the Levy was dry.”

In New Rochelle, we’re staying at the Holy Family Church, which is next to Iona College, of which Don McLean is an alum. Across the street from the college, the go-to student bar is now called the Beechmont Tavern. It used to be called The Levy when McLean was a student. Get it? One night, the bar was out of beer, leaving “the good ole boys…drinking whiskey and rye.”

There you have it. One of the many mysteries in that song solved.

Formerly Known as The Levy
The Proof
Fuller Riders

Fuller Bike Adventure 2023 Take 2

| June 17, 2023 | 0 Comments

This is the first time I’ve done two Fuller Rides in one year. As I write, I’m on the train from Boston to New Rochelle, NY to join the ride.

I honestly don’t know what pulls me back to these rides. The cause, the “living simply” experience, the camaraderie of my Fuller friends all play a big role. Honestly, the riding itself, while enjoyable (mostly) plays a smaller part of it.

This ride is different in a number of respects. It’s shorter than others. I usually do two weeks. This is only one week. Three hundred and fifty miles. I will be riding through my home region, New England, though not close to Boston, sadly. One big positive difference is that I don’t have to pack my bike in a box for air travel. I’m joining and departing the ride by Amtrak. Packing the bike is literally my least favorite part of these rides. It’s a huge relieve not to have to disassemble, pack, unpack and reassemble the bike twice, which was the case for almost all the other rides.

Amtrak, the ONLY way to travel with a bike
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Storyworth: How Did You Bring Peace to the Middle East – Chapter 2

| October 15, 2022 | 0 Comments

Two years after our experience on Cyprus with the Palestinians and the Israelis described in a previous chapter, my friend Jay F. came back with a new project related to the earlier one. Jay was working for the Peres Center for Peace, named for Nobel Peace Prize winner, Shimon Peres, whose executive director was a man named Uri Savir. Uri was Israel’s chief negotiator for the Oslo Accords, a peace agreement from the early ‘90s between the Israelis and the Palestinians. He was portrayed in the movie “Oslo” as a slender, dashing, charismatic and irreverent diplomat, a characterization of him wildly at odds with the man I got to know on this project. He was in fact smart, irreverent, funny and charismatic. Other qualities in the portrayal in the movie seemed exaggerated for dramatic effect. But that’s another story for another time.

Jay came to me with a project called the Millennium Peace Calendar. It was a large poster-sized calendar that the Peres Center had created with young Israelis and Palestinians from the West Bank who drew pictures about their dreams for peace. Those pictures decorated each of the months in the 12 month calendar. The calendar was signed by the Pope, Bill Clinton, Nelson Mandela and other world leaders. It was designed to be a fundraising vehicle that would provide financing for computer centers that the Peres center would establish both in the West Bank and in Israel that would allow young people from each community to communicate with one another and build relationships across the two communities. These relationships would break the chain of hostility by developing a generation of Palestinians and Israelis who had friends on the either side of the Jordan River.

I had been at FleishmanHillard for two years by that time. I was a little more established and so I had a little more ability to get the company to approve this project. Of course, unlike the previous project, this would have been a paying client. But payment was somewhat contingent on the success of the project. In other words, we had to sell calendars. All FH asked was that we don’t LOSE money on it. I only had to break even. In the end, we never came close.

The first meeting with Jay and a woman from the Peres Center was on a Monday in early September of 1999. Since the calendar was for the year 2000, there was no time to waste. Once my general manager at FH approved the project, we had to move quickly. In fact, I had to be in Tel Aviv by the following weekend for a meeting at the Peres Center for Peace that following Monday….with Shimon Peres, the former Prime Minister of Israel. Less than a week away. And, I had to have a plan for the project by then. Yikes.

I wrote a plan in my hotel room in Tel Aviv that forecast that we would raise $10 million dollars from the calendars. We would sell them for $100 a piece. Our chief targets would be the American Jewish community.

I presented the plan to Shimon Peres and the Chairman of the Board of the Peres Center, Dov Lautman, who was the head of the Sara Lee company in Israel. They approved the plan, but before I left the meeting (after getting the picture with Peres below), Lautman pulled me aside and said, “This project HAS to work. The Peres Center is struggling financially right now and if this effort fails, it could destroy the organization.”

Me and Shimon immediately after I told him I was going to raise $10 million for his non-profit with the Peace Calendar.

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Storyworth: Who has been one of the most important people in your life? Can you tell me about him or her?

| October 14, 2022 | 0 Comments
Mary Beth and Me (when I was younger and skinnier)

So many people. I could write a book about the people who had major impacts on my life. For purposes of this question, I’m going to set family aside, since by definition, they have had the most impact on my life. But that’s all of our jobs, to positively impact members of our family. Non-family members who intervene positively on our lives are, I think, a special breed. So I’ll focus on that category. And I will start with a list and finish with the person who had the greatest impact.

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