A Bit of Nostalgia
June 4th, 2008
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I was talking to someone on the phone the other day about my experience with the legislative process in Maryland and he commented that it sounded like I had been involved in this kind of thing for quite some time. I started to tell him that I had been working with legislators and other public servants since 2005, but then I began to get a little nostalgic about my life, and realized that I actually had been involved like this for nearly thirty years. |
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You are currently looking at a photo of me at age 15. It was in a newspaper article written by Lynne Salisbury with the Columbia Flyer dated January 18, 1979. I was asked by the school administrators at Mount Hebron High School to be their keynote speaker at a boundary line hearing. Centennial High School had opened up, and they took a large block of students from Mount Hebron. Not only did this decrease the number of staff available, but it also reduced the number of programs Mount Hebron could offer. Within two years, Centennial High School was over crowded, and the school board was again looking at making boundary changes. The way they were doing it was illogical, and would create a situation where Mount Hebron High School would still be under enrolled and under staffed and the problem of overcrowding at Centennial High School would not have been solved. As you can imagine, we were less than thrilled with the decision. How young I was then. At age 15 (contrary to the fact the Sunpapers thought I was older which made me feel really cool!)I thought I could make a difference. The interesting thing is that I did make a difference. It wasn’t all me, but I was a part of a team that made the board of education change their mind. In fact, there were over 500 people in attendance at the hearing, many of whom were not happy about one decision or another. Ours was the only objection that prevailed. In fact, the Board of Education finally adopted our solution to the problem. Read the Columbia Flyer Article Read the Baltimore Sunpapers Article Read the Baltimore Sunpapers Article of the Final Result
I hear so many people say, “I am only one person. What can I do?” The fact is that one person can do a lot. In my years as a paramedic, I touched the lives of countless people one person at a time. As a medical educator, I touched the lives of physicians, nurses, paramedics, and lay people who wanted to learn emergency skills they could use to save a life. Currently as a real estate educator I help people realize their dreams. As a public speaker help people to find their dreams and to dig deep into their spirituality to find truth and peace. As an activist, I can actually point to areas of the law and say, “I asked them to do that.” Yes, I am still naive enough to think I can make a difference, and I think you can too. So go out and follow your dreams. Touch people in positive ways. Be naive and believe you too can make a difference. Bruce.. |
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