Chamber Notes Archives

May 12 , 2005

A casualty of the times,

Jeanne follows her heart

Thud!

Nothing resonates quite like the sound of the “other shoe” dropping. It is a sound of finality, very quick and not at all respectful of consequence. It falls hard and flat but somehow always manages to leave an imprint.

Not at all like the imprint that will be left when Jeanne Hanlin says goodbye.

This is a sad story that keeps getting sadder. It actually began in August of 2003 when SKF USA announced, completely out-of-the blue, that it would be shutting its doors. The impact of 275 employees suddenly finding themselves on the unemployment rolls resulted in a giant step backward for a Blair County economy still very much in recovery mode.

Even if SKF had been a bad employer with a disdain for community involvement, closing its plant would still have stung. In reality, it was a great place to work, was a willing contributor to a variety of local causes and thrived on the type of consistency that comes from employing a high percentage of its people over a long period of time.

One of those people was Jeanne Hanlin’s husband, Terry.

Terry had worked at SKF for most of his adult life. He had bought into the company’s philosophy and didn’t relish the idea of starting-over with someone else. The company appreciated his loyalty and ability and offered him the opportunity to interview within the system. The “system,” as it turned out, happened to be in Gainesville, Georgia.

The long and the short of it is that Terry was hired and the Hanlin’s had a decision to make. Actually they had several decisions to make. When to leave. Where to live. Whether to sell their winter clothes. Everything except, whether or not to go.

Anyone who has ever known Jeanne Hanlin knows that in her eyes, there’s no one like Terry. Despite the hundreds of valuable friendships that she has made in her years as President of Easter Seals, as Administrator of the county’s Human Services Office and even, for a short time, as a music teacher, pulling-up roots to accompany her husband to a new job in a new area of the country was still a no-brainer.

Where Terry goes, Jeanne goes. Not out of obligation or loyalty. Solely and wholeheartedly out of love. The same type of love that Jeanne brought in huge abundance to the children at Easter Seals each and every day.

“You can talk about administration and you can talk about programs. All of that’s been outstanding,” remarked Attorney Jeff Bower, Chairman of the Board of Easter Seals Central Pennsylvania. “But we’re talking about replacing the heart and soul that Jeanne has put into this organization over the past fourteen years. Those are qualities that are nearly impossible to find.”

Bower can at least be consoled by the fact that he’s not alone. The huge void facing Easter Seals may actually pale in comparison to the one facing the Blair County community. Jeanne’s list of organizational involvements has been extensive and far-reaching. She has literally gone where no one has gone before her. Just ask the Rotary Club of Altoona. Six years ago she became the first woman-President of that club.

She’s made her presence felt at all levels. She’s been a leader, a foot-soldier and everything in between. It’s no coincidence that most successful community ventures, particularly ones related to healthcare, have had Jeanne Hanlin squarely in the middle of the planning or the execution.

What it all boils-down-to are some very simple things that many people who aspire to greatness never come to understand. It’s about caring. Not just pretending to care. It‘s about managing ego. Or, better yet, not exhibiting one at all. And it’s about rallying people to get the best out of themselves and then taking that enthusiasm to rally others.

Jeanne Hanlin has those gifts and has shared them so willingly that we somehow thought we’d have them forever. Then we heard the thud and we realize that an unsuspecting town in Georgia is getting two outstanding people for the price of one.

By the end of May, Jeanne and Terry will be settling-in to the realities of a new challenge. They will pursue it with vigor and optimism. Hopefully we will do that too. For our challenges grow more daunting each time someone who has invested heavily in the growth of our community must go elsewhere to find the next opportunity.

It’s time for the next Jeanne Hanlin to step up.

The sooner the better.

Chamber Notes Archives