"Life is Short" becomes more relevant as we approach these final years. Some could simply sit back and count their caches of cash or stare at sunsets while lazing on a tranquil beach sipping sarsaparillas. But our eclectic group of do-gooders continues to help others.

Giving Our Time to Others: Part Five.

Attorney Jon Wilton McClure takes pro bono cases down in Valdosta, GA. Mac's contributions: "I have a longtime pro bono client; I'll just call her 'Ms. Sanchez.' She's mentally challenged, and doesn’t understand why bank­ers demand to be paid when they loan her money. Ms. Sanchez has been my client for eight years, and still has her mobile home and personal be­longings. Because I practice Criminal Defense Law, I get to help those less fortunate persons of the community--murderers, bank robbers, armed bandits, drug dealers, child molesters, rapists, drunk drivers."

Volunteers come in two flavors: Those who help individuals, and those who tried to serve the public. Like Florian Philip Meinhardt: "I ran for Con­gress in the 2nd District of Kansas in 1988 (Topeka, Atchison, Ft. Riley, KSU/ Manhattan, KU/Lawrence, Ft. Leavenworth). I won the Republican primary with 67% of the vote, but lost to the three-term Democratic incumbent, Jim Slattery. I got about 30% of the vote. Bob Dole and Nancy Kassebaum were big supporters. 1988 was the year the elder George Bush defeated Michael Dukakis. It was fun to have audiences with then Vice President Bush and President Reagan in the White House. My late wife, Elizabeth, also got to go to the VP mansion for lunch with Barbara Bush." He tried.

Citizen Meinhardt at Nickerson Farms with his rooftop campaign ad

Then there's the political odyssey of John Albert Schira, Jr: "The first time I ran for office was in 1988 and I did not want to be the candidate, but there was no one else (R: kinda like when the Prez hisself taps `ya on the shoulder and sez: `Take the mound, Whitey.' Er, Jack). Mike DeWine was our representative to the U.S. House of Representatives, and I did not agree with his position on many issues. I agreed to take the Demo­cratic nomination and ran as hard as I could, spending $40,000. Mike spent $700,000, and I still got 40% of the vote. The second time I ran was in 1990, when DeVine ran for Lt. Governor, and Dave Hobson ran for his vacated seat. Dave and I went to breakfast together and I asked him to compare where we stood on the issues. 'Jack, the issues don't mean a damn thing. I'll spend whatever it takes to win and I've got all the money I need.' He was right; he spent about a half-million, and I spent $80K (much of it my own) and got about 40% of the vote." Jack also ran for the Ohio House in '92 and '96, and got 39% of the vote in his recent 2002 race. He's currently Chairman of the Board of Trustees in Brunswick Hills Township (OH). "I love my Trustee job these last three years; our town­ship has 6,000 people, and politics here are tougher than at higher levels. Housing developments are being added so fast we have to fight to keep open space and parks. I will probably run again for State Representative. What have I achieved by running in political races? I have managed to influence people and alter some of their extreme views. There is value to that, and in giving of my time I have found the secret of happiness ... be­ing there for your children and for others in the community! There is no more gratifying achievement than to raise your children to be good citi­zens and successes in life." William Allen Gillis and wife, Kath, are fulltime caregivers, having le­gally adopted their daughters' two children, Sebastian (10) arid Cecilia (7), and care for their eldest son's third-grade son. Bill's Vice President of the Panama City (FL) PTO, volunteers two days a week at the Cherry Street Public Elementary School as Math and Reading Teacher, works with Cub Scout Troup # 302 at St. John's Catholic Church, and is Scorekeeper/Coach of Little League.

Aaron Dean Thrush volunteered four months at Hurlburt AFB as ID checker of visitors at the Security Police Squadron, and taught a course on terrorism (gratis) at the U. of West Florida for seniors January-March 2002. "I started volunteering at the local Food Bank last October, where I work five hours each week interviewing individuals needing food, medi­cal, financial help; and, I recently taught two noncredit courses at UWF's branch campus -'Middle Eastern Wars - Causes and Possible After­maths' and `Professional Baseball Glory and Frustration.' And, I have my sports column on the Class website."

"Boston Red Sox legend Bernie Carbo (second from left) and Aaron (second from right) with others in his baseball class.

As sponsors of numerous Academy cadets, George Samuel Pupich and wife, Diana, normally have 6-10 cadets over to their house several week­ends a month, and the following characterizes a typical weekend: "They have Buffalo wings and BBQ meatballs or pizza rolls or chicken nuggets; later they'll polish off dinner--one night six of them ate 5 lbs of spa­ghetti, meatballs, Italian sausage, two loaves of garlic bread; after we went to bed they made sandwiches, consuming two more loaves of bread, 2­ 1/2 1bs of cheese and 3 1bs of turkey breast. The next morning the refrig­erator AND cupboards were bare." Diana estimates they've gone through 504 dozen eggs over the last five years! George also works on the annual Ben Martin Golf Tournament and participated in a Falcon Heritage Pro­gram at USAFA last Fall.

James Frederick Glaza has hosted over 50 cadets, and summarizes their consumption as something in excess of 600 meals, 200 six-packs of soft drinks (not counting beer), 150 pounds of laundry detergent and uncounted forays to the Ranch to pick up and drop off. "When Jeannette prepared an exotic gourmet meal, one cadet walked into the kitchen, looked at all the colors and spices of an Indian dinner, and calmly asked if he could have a hamburger! 'No,' she replied. That cadet ate, over the years, anything and everything that wasn't nailed down--but then, don't they all?"

A Save-The-Planet endeavor? Perhaps not. But Andrew William Biancur devotes a lot of his time assembling a group of volunteers in our Class each year--this year's MiniSki XIII was held 28 February through 8 March, and 30 skiers traversed six of the eight resorts in the Utah area, with mea­surable success and much pleasure. Next year's event--sponsored by the A1 Johnson Ski and Lawnmower Repair School--will be the first week of March 2004.

Clockwise, from top left: Meinhardt, Van Inwegen, O'Rourke, Hobgood, de la Cruz, Deke Johnson, Boyington, Holman, Yoakum, Al Johnson, Biancur (missing: Nogar, Mosier)

So, no one's developed tabletop nuclear fusion or cured colon cancer or created a NO-cal cheesecake. Just doing small things that make a dif­ference. These volunteers are like behavioral software or functional au­tonomy: They keep repeating it over and over again. Giving their time to others.