Legacies Of Service To Others

It seems fitting that two men whom I admire passed away so close together last week. One was one hundred years old; the other was just short of his ninety-fifth birthday. It wasn’t their age that made them special—it was the way they lived.

A few decades ago, a popular term in leadership studies was servant-leadership. If linking “servant” with “leader” seems like a contradiction, that only highlights how different servant-leadership is from the more dominant charismatic and authoritarian leadership model. The charismatic and authoritarian leader sets the direction, is the decider, and others follow. His or her message is “trust me; I know best.” If we look around the world, we can see that authoritarian leaders are gaining power.

Therefore, now is the perfect time to reevaluate servant-leadership. Servant leaders “serve” by listening to others in a community and helping the community discern the best path forward. For authoritarian leaders, the “I” is important. For servant-leaders, it’s the “we” that is important.

Readers probably figured out that the one-hundred-year-old person I’m referring to is Jimmy Carter. Some historians argue that he was a weak president, citing his inability to settle the Iran hostage crisis in 1979. Others point to high interest rates during his administration and his imposing a fifty-five mph limit on our roadways.

Carter wasn’t a perfect president, but I will never forget the day that Carter successfully negotiated a peace agreement between Israel and Egypt. In the picture seen around the world, Israel’s Prime Minister Menachem Began and Egypt’s President Anwar Sadat are shaking hands. For those of us who’d lived through the 1967 and 1972 wars, the moment seemed like a miracle.

As I read the details of the Camp David Accords, what strikes me was the way Jimmy Carter brought the two sides together. He didn’t dictate terms; instead, he helped two proud leaders, two grandfathers, see what was in the best interests of their grandchildren and future generations.

But it was the path that Jimmy Carter chose after leaving the White House that demonstrated servant-leadership. If Carter wasn’t the greatest president, he is the greatest ex-president. Some ex-presidents move to lucrative speaking tours; others retire to privacy if not obscurity. Jimmy Carter chose a different path. He mediated global crises, helped safeguard fair elections around the world, offered clean water technology to underdeveloped countries, and helped build affordable housing here and abroad.

When I came to Franklin College in 1978, which was during Carter’s administration, one of the first persons I met was Dick Park, then Academic Dean. He immediately reminded me both physically and personally of Jimmy Carter. If “helping build” was Carter’s motto, it was also Dick’s.

In my time at Franklin College, I witnessed Dick serving as an administrator, faculty member, and coach. I admit that I probably missed other ways that Dick served the college, but his service touched hundreds in the community as well. He and his wife, Ruth, were champions of foster parenting, and Dick was a genius in bringing people together to sing.

In all the community and college choir concerts I attended, I almost always saw Dick in the back row with the basses. But here’s the more important memory. I never heard Dick sing a solo. He

probably did on occasion, but Dick wasn’t the type to seek the limelight. His joy was in bringing others together to sing in harmony.

Dick led by serving students, college presidents and trustees, fellow faculty members, athletes, college and community singers, foster children, and no doubt many who are reading this column. As is true of Jimmy Carter, I’m sure what I know of Dick’s service is just the tip of the iceberg of what he did behind the scenes.

Jesus taught that the greatest person is the one who serves others. How radical that idea seems in our era, when winning and dominating are often celebrated.

Thank you, Jimmy and Dick, for showing us the way forward. We are better for your example of service to others. May your memories be eternal.