By Gordon Brown
Lawrence Today magazine, Spring 2007
One of them brings music education to more than 6,500 Chicago young people
each year.
Another’s ministry on behalf of peace and justice began on the protest
line. In New Orleans, yet another heads a company that put its employees first
as it sought to recover from Hurricane Katrina. The fourth founded and taught
in a model literacy and adult-education program in Texas’ Rio Grande
Valley. Another successfully advocated for the life-saving mission of swiftwater
rescue in Los Angeles. These five doers-of-good have been selected
to receive the Alumni Association’s
George B. Walter ’36 Service to Society Award at
Reunion Weekend in June.
Here are their stories.
THE LITERACY LADY
Life
is not easy in Hidalgo County, Texas, down on the Rio Grande border. One
of the poorest counties in the United States, approximately 36 percent of
its
nearly 700,000 people live below the poverty line. Statistics on the number
of families on food stamps, the percentage of school drop-outs, the unemployment
rate — all the indicators of great need — are equally grim.
Margarita “Peg” Thompson Oliver ’42 saw a particular unmet
need and stepped in to fill it. Her work in literacy education for adults was
far-sighted and innovative, based on an open, drop-in program of self-paced
adult basic education and literacy instruction.
Having observed “the terrible neglect of adult education and literacy
in Texas” on an earlier visit, Oliver moved from Wisconsin in 1984 after
the death of her husband, Fred Oliver ’42. In Texas, she says, she found
a place “where my education, motivation, and time were badly needed.”
She almost immediately began teaching GED (General Educational Development)
high school diploma-equivalency classes that, in time, reached 300-500 people
in any given year. She soon added learning-disabled instruction, tutor training,
workshops, coordination with other literacy providers, and public-information
programs. And she taught in the county jail.
The McAllen Monitor once offered this description: “A silver-haired
grandmother with a blue suitcase full of hefty books, note paper, and writing
utensils,
Peg Oliver has hit every Hidalgo County community like a small but powerful
whirlwind. The suitcase has well-worn wheels and a handle Oliver uses to
pull it from class to class, community to community. She gives her students
both
the physical tools and the support they need to learn.”
Today, however, changes in educational policy at the federal level, where
Texas is ranked 47th among the states on the index that lists children’s “Chance
for Success,” have had a stultifying effect on the constituency served
by her organization, the Coalition of Literacy Services, Inc.
“I’ve been calling some of my GED students from past years to see
how they‘re doing,” Oliver says, “students from before
I was forced by health problems to retire, students from the many largely
undereducated,
generally illiterate communities in the Rio Grande Valley.
“Many were more excited to hear my voice than I had anticipated. They
had given up, but my calling had made them believe that they could ‘make
it,’ again
with the right help, and they wanted to help me find a way to help them again,” she
says.
Oliver notes that the pressure on schools to produce higher test scores extends
even to the GED, on which the Coalition of Literacy Services had been successfully
graduating many formerly discouraged students.
“The growing number of pushed-out, would-be students already in the criminal
justice system, feeling dangerously humiliated, hopeless, depressed, like total
losers, has made me painfully aware of my good fortune in springing from Lawrence,” she
says.
“I’m now working,” Oliver says, “on a Bipartisan Education
Compromise, aimed at turning poor communities into educated communities,
giving everyone a ‘Chance at Success,’ according to his or her own
wonderfully varied natural talents.
“My Lawrence experience has been a clear guide in these efforts — a
model from which to draw inspiration.”
THE ACTIVIST PASTOR
It’s 1972 in the Washington, D.C., jail, and the Rev. Martin
L. Deppe ’57, one
of 95 members of Clergy and Laity Concerned arrested during a demonstration
in the Capital Rotunda, is situated a few cells down from the Rev. William
Sloane
Coffin LHD’96.
“My fondest memory of Bill Coffin,” Deppe says, “is listening
to him, in jail, leading the singing of old-favorite hymns, spirituals, and
freedom songs
with his booming, cheerful baritone and incredible memory. He knew the words
of every verse of every hymn; after the first verse, the rest of us hummed
along as he belted out the words.”
Through the years, Martin Deppe has traveled in good company and been associated
with good causes. From Lawrence to seminary to ministry to a vigorous retirement,
his life and works have brought substance to the word activist.
In the process, he has been a witness to some key moments in the history of recent
decades.
In 1967, he stood behind Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., at the signing of a covenant
between the Southern Christian Leadership Conference’s Operation Breadbasket
and the Jewel Tea Company. Having helped negotiate the agreement, Deppe was “midwife” to
an event that led this major Chicago chain store to move from 4 percent to
12 percent black employment in only three years.
In 1971, he was part of a Clergy and Laity Concerned peace mission to Paris that
met with the North Vietnamese delegation to the peace talks.
In 1980, he served on the strategy team for the Rev. Marjorie Matthews in her
successful bid for election as the first woman bishop in the United Methodist
Church.
He headed the Alliance to End Repression in its 11-year effort that culminated
in a consent decree from a federal district court eliminating the Chicago Police
Department’s Subversive Activities Unit, the infamous “Red Squad.”
As a pastor, he served six United Methodist parishes in the Chicago area between
his ordination in 1961 and retirement in 1999. In one instance, he built a
predominately black congregation following the moving-away of some 500 white
members; in another,
he integrated the congregation and founded an ecumenical food pantry. A clergy
colleague has said, “He has a genius for taking churches that are not
going anywhere and making them work.”
In retirement, he is an inveterate writer of letters to the editor. As of December
2006, he had written 125 post-9/11 letters to various publications, of which
65 had been published. His wife, Peg, calls this his “retirement pulpit.”
Looking ahead, he says, “It is time to tell the stories. I am currently
writing the story of SCLC Operation Breadbasket, 1966-1971, including my work
with Dr. King and the Rev. Jesse Jackson.
“Similarly, I would like to write about Clergy and Laity Concerned and
the Vietnam War, including my work with Bill Coffin, Rabbi Abraham Heschel,
and others.
“Occasional preaching, teaching about Dietrich Bonhoeffer, marching in
peace demonstrations, and, of course, writing letters to the editor round out
my public service.”
THE SWIFTWATER RESPONDER
One alumna’s response to tragedy, expressed in advocacy, alerted her
community to a lurking danger and led to solutions that addressed it.
In
1980, Nancy Rigg ’72 and her fiancé, Earl Higgins,
were walking near the flood-swollen Los Angeles River when they noticed a child
in the turbulent
waters. Earl stepped into the torrent to attempt a rescue but was swept downstream
along with the child. The child somehow survived, but Earl disappeared and
his remains were not recovered until nine months later.
The problem, Rigg soon found, was that 11 different agencies shared jurisdiction
over a 30-mile stretch of the river. They could not communicate with each other,
the river had never been mapped for
rescue locations, and none of the area’s first-responders were trained
in rescue techniques specific to fast-flowing rivers.
“Earl was swept downstream past would-be fire-rescue personnel who had
neither
the training nor equipment needed to mount a safe or effective ‘swiftwater’ rescue,” she
says.
A writer and filmmaker by trade, her efforts on behalf of swiftwater rescue
ranged from writing op-ed pieces, to producing an educational video, “No
Way Out,” to
writing an episode of “Baywatch” about swiftwater-rescue techniques.
She devoted not weeks, but years, to bringing the issue of river safety to
the attention of the public and civic authorities. As a direct result of her
efforts, in 1992 a pioneering multi-agency, multi-jurisdictional swiftwater
rescue program was launched in Los Angeles.
Rigg traces her method and motivation back to a small college in Wisconsin.
“One professor who influenced me tremendously was George
Walter, who firmly
believed in the power of education to create positive change. Educating people
about the
dangers posed by swift-moving floodwater has been one of the most challenging
things I’ve ever tackled.
“For someone who majored in theatre to need to converse in the language
of geology, geomorphology, hydrology, and other sciences, as well as the language
of emergency
response, technical search and rescue, firefighting, and disaster preparedness
may seem academically incongruous, but it is not. To gain respect and have my
ideas taken seriously, I had to learn to ‘walk the walk and talk the talk,’” Rigg
says.
As the years went by, her efforts expanded beyond California. In 2000, the
day before the 20th anniversary of her fiancé’s death, she was
in Washington, D.C., testifying before the first-ever House subcommittee hearing
on flood-water
rescue. Still, change at the federal level has been slow.
“Had Congress taken more action in 2000, rather than merely taking copious
notes, the tragedy that unfolded along the Gulf Coast in 2005 might have been
averted,
at least in terms of water rescue and lifesaving,” she says, sadly.
She notes that at least one improvement was made at the federal level during
Katrina. For the first time ever, all eight urban search and rescue teams from
California were deployed by FEMA with swiftwater rescue components. Unfortunately,
Rigg says, it was “too little, too late” to serve those who most
needed to be rescued from the flood zone.
“We owe it to people everywhere, especially children, to educate them about
the dangers of fast-moving floodwater, and we must ensure that, when someone
dials
9-1-1, the emergency responders who are called into action have the technical
swiftwater/flood-rescue skill needed to save lives.”
Today, Nancy Rigg’s writing appears regularly in professional fire and
rescue journals, she has consulted with first-responder groups around the country,
and she hosts an online newsgroup for rescue personnel and an online grief-support
group. She has been called “the mother of swiftwater rescue.”
THE MORE-THAN-MUSIC TEACHER
“No
child who is motivated and willing to work hard should be denied the
opportunity
to go as far as their talents will take them,” says Duffie A.
Adelson ’73, executive
director of Chicago’s Merit School of Music (pictured, with Merit students).
Founded in 1979 in response to the elimination of music instruction from the
Chicago elementary-school curriculum, Merit, now located in newly renovated facilities
in the West Loop neighborhood, has provided comprehensive music instruction to
more than 45,000 young people in its 28 years.
After college, Adelson taught for 12 years in Wisconsin, Massachusetts, and Illinois.
She joined Merit as a part-time teacher in 1982. In 1986, she stepped in to help
the founding director, whose only staff member had just left.
“I saw great opportunities for growth,” she says, “and was
invited
to stay on as a staff member and encouraged to seek growth in the organization.” She
became executive director in 1993.
Highly regarded in the profession and in the community for her work ethic,
her precise articulation of Merit’s mission, and her demonstrated affection
for music and young musicians, she says that, in Merit, “I am fortunate
to work for an organization whose mission so closely aligns with my own dual
goals of bringing the world of music to children and advancing the larger social
agenda by allowing diverse groups of people to get to know each other."
Under her leadership, Merit has become a nationally recognized community arts
school, known for its innovative partnerships with other organizations; its high-quality,
comprehensive music curriculum; and its commitment to serving economically disadvantaged
students.
“Merit provides initial exposure and training, as well as a rigorous instructional
pathway, offered free or low-fee, for motivated students. It is tremendously
satisfying to have the ability to level the playing field and allow dedicated
students to gain polished musical skills, despite economic circumstances,” Adelson
says.
“It is a privilege and a joy to watch our students mature as both musicians
and
human beings, and it is wonderful to see Merit’s socio-economically diverse
student body inspire one another and provide the support that encourages each
to stay the course, set ambitious personal goals, and nurture dreams.”
Of her own college education, she says, “I had the privilege of working
with Professor Fred Schroeder. His idealism and unique way of melding the worlds
of nature and music were pivotal to my development. He was relentless in his
insistence that each student meet his or her potential, and he showed me that
an adult who maintains passion and idealism can inspire young people to have
the confidence and courage to be true to their inner convictions.
“I have endeavored to incorporate my Lawrence experiences into the fabric
of the
Merit School of Music, so that Merit’s students can thrive in the same
kind of transformative musical haven.”
Asked what the future holds, Adelson says, “I can’t imagine a more
wonderful place to be than Merit, so I suppose that I will stay until everyone
gets tired of me.”
THE CONCERNED EMPLOYER
Hurricane Katrina, in August 2005, devastated lives, destroyed property, and
shook the social, political, and economic foundations of the Gulf Coast areas
through which it cut its swath of wind and water.
The New Orleans-based Oreck Corporation, manufacturer of vacuum cleaners, air
purifiers, and other home products, had its main manufacturing plant in Long
Beach, Mississippi, 76 miles away. When Katrina hit, it damaged the plant and
destroyed
the homes of many of the 600
employees.
The Wall Street Journal described the situation: “Oreck had
no phone service, no electricity, no water. Roads in and out of town were blocked.
Hundreds of employees had lost their homes, and hundreds
more were
missing.”
Although its New Orleans corporate offices were also disrupted by the storm,
the company responded quickly to the disaster and to the situation at the Long
Beach factory.
As recovery efforts began, Tom Oreck ’73, president
and CEO, announced, “We
will ensure [our employees] safe and sanitary housing, food, water, and paychecks.
If they were Oreck employees before the hurricane, they still have a job.”
In a later interview, he made it clear: “Our first responsibility was to
our employees — period. The business could wait; the people could not.”
In addition to shelter and supplies, the company brought in trauma specialists
and people to help employees with insurance and FEMA claims. A toll-free conference
call and a rudimentary website kept employees in touch and informed
.
“The first thing we did on September 9 when the lights went on was invite
employees
and their families to a cookout,” Oreck says. He also handed them their
weekly pay, in cash.
The company set up the Oreck Employees Relief Fund, seeding it with a $500,000
corporate contribution, and launched a national donation drive through its Oreck
Clean Home Centers across the country. In addition, it donated 1,000 vacuum cleaners
to the Salvation Army for distribution to those affected by the storm.
Despite the devastation wrought by Katrina on both its locations, the Oreck Corporation
was the first to reopen a national headquarters in New Orleans and a plant on
the Gulf Coast.
Founded by Tom’s father, David Oreck, in 1963, the company is a three-generation
family enterprise. Tom Oreck, a graduate of Lawrence and of the owner/president
program of the Harvard Business School, assumed the presidency in 2000.
In community and civic activities, he serves on the board of the Isadore Newman
School and the Make-A-Wish Foundation and is a volunteer pilot for Angel Flight.
He is a vice-chair of the New Orleans Business Council, an organization made
up of the CEOs of the largest local companies, and joined with other residents
to form Citizens for 1 Great New Orleans, a group active in recovery efforts.
Jay Lapeyre, chairman of the New Orleans Business Council, says, “Tom
Oreck has brought judgment, vision, integrity, and incredible energy to our
many efforts,
while managing the recovery and growth of his business and continuing his many
civic and other commitments.”
Cedric Richman, a Louisiana state legislator, agrees, stating that “Tom
really answered the call for bold leadership and action after the storm. He
has worked hard to keep the business community engaged with the local community
and
push for common goals.”
The Oreck family, collectively, was named “Heroes of Katrina” by
CNN’s “American Morning” program in December 2005.