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Yearly Archives: 2020
E-Mail to Students
Hope you are holding up okay in these tumultuous times. Below are some thoughts from myself.In 1963, the famed African-American author James Baldwin wrote “The Fire Next Time.” Every time there is a terrible racial “incident,” people have wondered if a fire was being lit which would defy extinguishment, that would not run its course until […]
Brave New World — or Not?
My reading list can be random – something, somewhere catches my eye. When “The Glass House” by Emily St. John Mandel was billed as having a Ponzi scheme guy as the lead character, I was in. It was a quite interesting and creative novel, with the Ponzi aspect only dominating quietly, but powerfully. Naturally I […]
The Only Light
Comment: Among the collateral benefits of the lockdown – there are very few — has been the opportunity to do an exhaustive clean-up of my files, folders, zip drives, desk drawers, piles of paper resting somewhere gathering dust. Included in this lessening mess have been some writing ideas. In theory, said creative expressions could be […]
Next Missive
A student asked me for some advice as he pursued life after his recent college graduation. When I re-read what I had said off the top of my head in response, the generalizations did not sound half-bad. Some days you get inspired — or lucky! Hence they now form the backbone of another entry in […]
Birthday Cards
It has been my habit for many years to create what was to be an annual birthday “card.” Alas, world events of the negative variety have intruded and multiple versions have become the new normal. Below is a compilation; formatting has been made consistent, for ease of perusal. The original “cards” came in different shapes, […]
Missives
Missives sent over the years to college students assisted by the WKBJ Foundation. February, 2020: HOPE YOUR WINTER BREAK WAS A USEFUL TIME TO RELAX AND GET YOUR BATTERIES RE-CHARGED FOR THE SPRING SEMESTER. I continue to roll up the miles and restaurant meals getting together with young people being assisted in their pursuit of […]
An Unusual Christmas: 2018
Not with family or friends, in an airplane, shopped at a 7-11: sounds like a candidate for serious therapy! However, keep in mind: I flex for facts and … the wrong train can take you to the right destination. Notes from 2018: *WKBJ Foundation is now out of money, as planned in its by-laws of […]
My Middle Name
Below is background information, as framed in a 2018 letter to my sister and two brothers.. Dear Siblings: Having taken a page out of the book of Ruth Ann (and a few million others), namely that the contents of a box must be allowed to age properly, over several years preferably, before the contents may […]
Robert’s Rules
Going “to” (being attracted to a new college or job or residence or relationship) carries better odds of success than going “from,” i.e., leaving any of these situations simply because you are ticked off. When unsure, emphasize variable, not fixed commitments. What are the unshakable truths about you: be totally honest. What decisions must be […]
A FEW INCONVENIENT TRUTHS, COMMENTS, and QUESTIONS
Every Executive-Director in the non-profit world is smart, articulate, compassionate. Each can describe ad nauseum the lamentable plight of a poster child, one whose life challenges well-told can easily cause a funder to be separated from his or her charitable money. Overall, nonetheless, success in aiding such young people is more random than systematic. In […]