Kevin had a wonderful
way of making Bergen County's history so relevant and so immediate.
The first time I heard him speak, he read random headlines from Bergen
County newspapers. The headlines from 1870 and 1890 were so similar to
the ones in 2009. As we tried to guess the era, Kevin had that
delightful, impish smile on his face, as we got it wrong every time.
After
the Arab Spring, Kevin urged us to remember that the very notion of
representative democracy would not exist had George Washington not saved
the bridge at New Bridge Landing. As we stood looking at the little
bridge, he drew pictures of the hopes and dreams of people the world
over--to live in a government for the people, by the people.
Whenever
I think about the local economy, I remember Kevin describing Bergen
County as the "Saudi Arabia" of New York--as our forests fueled the
industrial revolution. And local debates about growth, development and
education were waged between the "pumpkin dusters" and the "city folk."
Kevin
reminded us always that our history is rich, relevant and just below
the surface of so much of what we do and experience today.
We
have lost a good friend and a masterful teacher. He will be sorely
missed, but I will delight in quoting his wonderful turns of phrase.
Lynne Algrant
CEO
No comments:
Post a Comment