Chamber Notes Archives

October 2007

What, me worry? Reflections of a Class Clown

Could it really be fourteen years since the first class of The Chamber’s Leadership Blair County program assembled for a meet-n-greet at the Chamber Offices in Downtown Altoona, kicking-off a yearlong journey into the great unknown?

The inaugural class included people with impressive resumes, long lists of accomplishments, incredible potential and unbridled enthusiasm.

It also included me.

As Administrator of the Lutheran Home at Hollidaysburg, I was recruited by Tim Sissler, then of Central Bank, to apply for admission to LBC under the guise that it would help prepare me for future roles in strengthening my community. Or conquering the world. I really can’t remember which.

Sissler and Chamber Executive Director John Schraff founded the leadership program and were determined to identify and train at least a few dozen well-meaning citizens to sprinkle the concept of “servant leadership” about the countryside. Neither man in his wildest dreams could have imagined that LBC would perpetuate itself to the degree that more than 300 of the region’s finest would now possess graduation credentials.

The first class was the smallest in number (19) but ranked high in spirit and gullibility. We bought into the idea that we were chosen from among hundreds of applicants to the program, even though none of us were interviewed nor were any background checks done. We later learned that twenty people had actually applied and one, for health reasons, had pulled-out of consideration. So much for the cream rising to the top. If you could fog a mirror, you were prime material for LBC Class #1.

The bonding process for the class might have begun at the Chamber Offices but it reached full crescendo at the overnight retreat held at the Spruce Creek Rod & Gun Club. It was there that I learned the difference between a “nuisance snorer” and one able to reach decibel levels that would start a fairly substantial rockslide.

I’ll adhere to the creed of confidentiality to keep from implicating anyone whose guttural discharges might not be as widely recognized throughout polite society. But should I happen to be in a meeting and notice one of these people dozing-off, I will seek cover. It was really that bad.

The highpoint of the retreat had to be when the class worked in unison to design a futuristic Blair County community and, as a focal point, included a minor league baseball stadium that would create additional socialization for the region while also serving as a magnet for travel and tourism. What an outlandish idea!

There was also the special moment when my comrades officially designated me as the Class Clown. That designation was accompanied by the instruction that I was welcome to provide levity at any moments that I saw fit but that I should refrain from offering any commentary on serious matters. I think it might have had something to do with the retreat exercise in which all members of the class were asked to identify an important leader from throughout history and to cite a memorable quote from that leader.

While others were expounding on Gandhi, Churchill and even Attila the Hun, my mind wandered all the way to MAD Magazine’s Alfred E. Neuman whose leadership mantra was, “If I don’t lead them, they can’t be mislead.” How utterly profound. How tremendously insightful.

How completely ridiculous.

Fourteen years later, I still have fond memories of what I learned and with whom I learned it. Leadership Blair County has steadily gained a reputation for taking people from all walks of life and blending their talents for the betterment of all. There is now a waiting list and an interview process and much has changed. And much hasn’t.

There is still a great sense of purpose and the understanding that even in a small community, there can never be enough leaders.

Class #1 produced a number of graduates who have distinguished themselves locally and even a few that through circumstances have transported their talents elsewhere. People like Stan Sheetz, Judy Boerger, Wayne Hippo and Paul Johnson have all impacted the business and political landscapes in ways that encourage others to follow. And others have.

Best wishes to the 2008 Class as you travel a path of leadership littered with obstacles that might seem insurmountable. They are merely blips on the radar compared to the many positive things that are happening here. Build on those and many of the obstacles will disappear.

Even a Class Clown can figure that out.

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