Up, Down and Around Our Town

"So many of us die with our music still in us", as Oliver Wendell Holmes so aptly put. His words were designed to make sure that we share all of our gifts as often as possible with those that are close. It speaks of making sure that those special talents are developed, shared and most of all, improved upon. Such is the challenge of living in a fast-moving society. Reality tells us that there will always be starts and stops; it's the journey that really counts the most.

It all started with a natural disaster. A tornado, if you will, that swooped into this sleepy little Missouri town and did major damage. Homes destroyed, businesses leveled, utilities not working and employment simply brought to a stop. The most notable trait of the little college that inhabited that town was an old dome from a silo - placed there many years ago and it was now laying in pieces some 2000 feet from where it was supposed to be. The silver lining was that there was no loss of life, but the lives that were there had way more questions than answers.

Enter a wide-eyed college professor and administrator from Baltimore. He even came early. Like the disaster wouldn't wait? No, he came early, because the character that he brought with him would be with that little school for the next six years. He did what he always was known to do - find the optimism and the hope that lies just beneath the surface when people come together.

It has been said often that no organization ever rises above the quality of its own leadership. For that reason, it is no wonder that the stock on this little campus, in this little town at this point in time continues to escalate. Because leadership never sleeps and integrity never goes out of style.

Back to Mother Nature. While the disaster luckily hit some six hours after one of the buildings that was destroyed was filled to the brim with graduating seniors and their families, the clock was ticking. Working around deadlines that now didn't exist, the physical portion of the campus was quickly rebuilt. The Joe Charles Fieldhouse, reduced to rubble, rose from that disaster to be better and bigger,. A new building was built concurrently that houses other activities and now is one of the most popular and most used facilities on the little campus. A new dome now finds itself on the top of Henderson Hall, different in some ways, but nevertheless the landmark of the campus. It is a campus that has prospered and challenged itself for 156 years. And it still is. Because of the leaders that it has attracted.

He did the big things. He put a strategic plan together that made sense and was to become a roadmap of things to come. He established the dreamplate of a Master Plan. Because a journey always starts with the first step. He then changed the package; the style, if you wish, with a simple curriculum change known as EXP @ CSC. He put things in priority. He challenged and supported without ever getting openly angry and confrontational. He evolved as a leader. Many, many are benefitting from his actions.

But, as Billy Mays would say, "there is much more." It was his comfort level. Comfortable in the pulpit quoting Steinbeck and Chaucer. Comfortable in a running mode from LaGrange to Canton. Comfortable in a bow tie. Comfortable at the weekly luncheon with the greatest generation at Primos. Comfortable in being a constant source of support for the young people (the Students of Promise) that were quickly attracted to him. Comfortable with his lovely wife Lynn, no slouch herself in the leadership field.

Yes, this has been the life over the past six years of one William J. Fox. President of Culver Stockton College. The same Bill Fox that opened up the campus to those displaced from the flooding in 2008. The same Bill Fox whose door was always open to both supporters and critics. The same Bill Fox whose optimism is perhaps his greatest trait. Sound like a nice place? Of course it does.

On his last official day in front of the students, he challenged the graduates to continue their journey, to know the value of a liberal arts education and to read, read, read. He did it with that wonderful twinkle in the eye of a man who is comfortable in his own skin. He set the pace and then decided that, regardless of Thomas Wolfe, that it was time to "go home again". (This also was a centerpiece of his address, urging the students to find their "home") - perhaps a little deja vu in that message.

And soon he will be gone. Gone back to his alma mater, St. Lawrence University. In Canton, New York; in the great "northland" of the Empire State. The 1975 grad will return to his own roots and apply the same approach to the North Country that he did to Lewis County. To that end, those folks are genuinely lucky. They will find his approach to problem-solving and critical thinking refreshing and honest.

He also will follow the greatest of opportunities when he leaves. He will have left it far better than he found it. He will have established the possibility and probability of greater things that will blossom in future years. He will have shown that one does not need to be a tyrant to get the job done; being supportive and inspirational works just as well. He did it all without MySpace, Twitter and Facebook. Perhaps that is his greatest gift.

Legacy building. Bill Clinton is still looking for his; George W. Bush will look even farther. But, on the bluff above the Mississippi River, on a campus that has known triumph and tragedy, the legacy of William J. Fox is secure. He restored both the soul and the sanctity to the campus that he guarded for six years. To that end, we will be forever greatful.

We'll miss him because he and Lynn are the optimal couple. One wide-eyed history major who governs people and colleges; one equally qualfied young lady who safeguards the Fed. Quite a match. The folks in the North Country of New York will soon embrace this pair in the same manner that the people of Lewis County did in 2003. The "music" that Holmes speaks of is endless; the source of that harmony is universal. In other words, this community known as Canton, Missouri and Culver-Stockton College will be in the debt of Bill Fox; a debt nicely procured and proudly displayed. Why? Because when it all comes together, the parting is difficult solely because of the joint investment that has paid off so well.

On a personal note, I have often wondered where my life would be today were it not for his presence. That's a good question to ponder.

Yet, it is Graduation and Mother's Day. A salute to the ladies who raised us, who loved us and who are responsible for the next generation who will someday replace us. Daunting? Not really. And one day a year probably isn't enough. But, this week will also mark the first birthday of my own hero, Sasha. How quickly the year has gone and how many hurdles she has already cleared. Sometimes it's just nice being in the right place at the right time.

Bill Fox was the right man, at the right place and certainly at the right time. The chapters that will have his name on them will be wonderful to re-read in years to come. It makes being in the audience even more meaningful. So, on that note, we bid a weekly farewell. Till then, as always, and with humility in our backpack, we remain.....