Past Governor Debbie Mabry delivered this Accent during the opening session of this year's Conference. I fell in love with it at the time, and thought it would be nice to give you all a reminder now that we're well into the new biennium.
We gather
this weekend for our 57th District Nine Conference, with a very
appropriate theme of “Altrusa Dreamin’.” Appropriate because almost 100 years
ago, that is exactly what a small group of women were doing – Altrusa Dreamin’. Do you think that 96 years ago, these women
had any idea of where their dreams and plans would lead?
Spanish
author Carlos Ruiz Zafon said “We spend a good part of our lives dreaming,
especially when we're awake.” That is what this conference, the ones before
this one, the ones that will come after this one, is all about – dreaming when
we are awake.
·
Dreaming
about what our hopes and aspirations are for our communities.
·
Dreaming
about a world that is a good place for all of us to live;
·
Dreaming
about leaving this place a little better than we found it.
We all know
about the dreamers in our past – people like Mamie L. Bass, Eleanor Roosevelt,
Dr. Nina Fay Calhoun, Edith Debusk and so many other Altrusans who shared their
dreams and plans for a better world have brought us to where we are today for this
conference.
I want to
share a story about another dreamer in our world – not an Altrusan, but I think
he would have made a great Altrusan.
Born in 1846, he was raised in Chicago by immigrant parents who ingrained
in him a strong belief that man should strive to be of service to others.
After
failing admission tests for Harvard and Yale, and an unsuccessful stint at
politics, Daniel Burnham became an architect.
At 26 years old, he met his soon to be partner, and they began building
buildings. Not just any building, BIG
buildings.
·
The
first skyscraper in Chicago – the Masonic building (21 stories tall)
·
The
flatiron building in New York City
·
The
Union Station in Washington DC
·
In
1906, his firm designed the “Plan of Chicago” which laid out the future plans
for the entire city of Chicago.
What a
dreamer! He would have made a great Altrusan!
Daniel Burnham also penned some words that have
remained alive and quoted for well over the past century. I first read them 38 years ago, and I have
never forgotten them. I would like to
share them with you:
“Make no little plans. They have no magic to
stir men's blood and probably themselves will not be realized. Make big plans;
aim high in hope and work, remembering that a noble, logical diagram once
recorded will never die, but long after we are gone will be a living thing,
asserting itself with ever-growing insistency. Remember that our sons and
grandsons are going to do things that would stagger us. Let your watchword be
order and your beacon beauty. Think big.”
Dream Big, Altrusans – remember that OUR sons,
daughters, Grandsons and granddaughters, nieces, nephews and young neighbors
are going to stand on our shoulders, they are going to follow our lead and
dream big and they will do things that will stagger us.
