Let’s Count Our Blessings and Thank Our Mentors
Bill Sledzik, a public relations professor at my alma mater, Kent State University, recently posted an ode to his mentors and threw down the gauntlet to others to follow. I earned a Master’s degree in History at Kent, so I did not know Bill, but his blog is one of my favorites. I now count him as a great “virtual” friend…plus he’s a Steelers fan in the heart of Browns country, which makes him a brother of sorts.
My Mentors:
Lawrence S. Kaplan — Dr. Kaplan served as my Master’s thesis advisor at Kent State. I also took two classes of his, one on NATO and the other on Jefferson. I can still hear Dr. Kaplan’s soft New England lilt in my ear and remember his probing insights into the study of history. What I took away from my work with Dr. Kaplan served as the basis for the successes I have had since, particularly now that I am a college teacher: better critical thinking skills, improved writing ability, and an appreciation for his extraordinary kindness.
Anne Beirne — Many, many people have shown me kindness in my life, but none quite as much as Anne. She is a one-of-a-kind person, who brought me into the UpStart/Fleishman family and then into her own family. Anne is a phenomenal writer and served as a role model for just about every aspect of a career in communications. She is like a second mom to me, even though I now live across the country and don’t get to see her or her wonderful family.
Peter Magnani — Peter hired me at Bank of America in San Francisco and then over the next couple years, exerted a significant influence on my thinking about how one should conduct themselves in the corporate world. His engaging leadership, combined with marvelous storytelling and perfect business instincts, enabled those of us who worked for him to excel at our jobs. Peter also introduced me to his mentor — Ron Rhody — one of the founding fathers of public relations, in my opinion. I force students to read one of Rhody’s articles on the importance of communicators in maintaining an organization’s moral compass each semester. Here’s his Arthur W. Page Society Hall of Fame speech.
I’ve had a couple other important mentors, including Sidney R. Snyder, my AP History teacher who guided me to Kent State to study with Dr. Kaplan. His friendship means a great deal to me. Dr. James A. Kehl helped me appreciate and understand history at the University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Phil Sipiora, my dissertation advisor at the University of South Florida, is a wonderful mentor and guide as I traverse through the world of literature. His knowledge of Fitzgerald and Hemingway opened my eyes to the great authors in an entirely new way.
The School of Mass Communications (informal) golf team members have also mentored me on and off the course: Ken Killebrew, Larry Leslie, and Randy Miller.
I feel lucky to have had so many fantastic mentors in my career. I honor them by paying it forward whenever I can, particularly for my students as they begin their journeys.
June 11th, 2008 at 21:54
Bob:
I was touched to read what you wrote. It mustn’t go without saying that the gift that is returned by seeing a brilliant young person such as yourself succeeding is ample recompense. One thing that I have always admired about journalists/writers/editors is that they do give unstintingly when they see potential. I can’t imagine anyone you’ve ever met not wanting to “include you in” in everything! That being said, send me an update on how y’all are. My emails don’t seem to get through. .a.b.