Editor's Column
by
Tim Benjamin
November began with one more
celebration in remembrance of our good friend, the cofounder of Access
Press. At the Charlie Smith Community Award Banquet on November 3,
John Smith was recognized for his leadership in the Minnesota disability
community. John (no relation to Charlie) is a project coordinator
and researcher for The Research and Training Center on Community
Living at the University of Minnesota. His colleague Charlie Lakin
pays John tribute.
The awards banquet always
marks one more year gone by and 12 more issues of the paper having
been produced. It makes me think about how cyclical our lives are.
Summer, fall, winter, spring—and
day to night—our lives are filled with cycles. We get up in
the morning; we do the same routine. We go to work; we check phone
messages and e-mail. At some point in the day, we begin to plant
the seeds for tomorrow, not knowing whether those seeds will bear
fruit for harvest—and storage for the beginning of the next
cycle. Charlie Smith planted the seed of Access Press, and at the
banquet Friday night it was easy to see some of Charlie’s harvest.
So many people that knew Charlie and came to remember him!
As the years and the
cycles continue, there are more people who attend, but fewer among
them had a chance to know Charlie. Still, all who were there could
feel and see the product of Charlie’s
work. I continue every year to stow away some of Charlie’s
harvest to fuel me through the next year. And many of us will be
fueled by the harvest that John Smith’s work has sown. John
is another one of the people who produce far more than they know
in their dedication to humanity and civil rights. I think it is important
that we recognize the people around us, the seeds they sow and the
harvests they share. I know I do not have to say it, but, “John,
keep up the good work. We honor you, as Charlie would, for your drive
and energy in making the world a better place.”
But ours is just one
of the many banquets that comes up around this time of year. Harvest
time is the time to look back and celebrate the accomplishments
of the year for many organizations. Metropolitan Center for Independent
Living is celebrating
25 years of following—and
helping to blaze—the trail created by the founders of the independent
living movement. The Minnesota State Council on Disability also honors
some of the great work of many others in the disability community.
For me, it is an honor to be associated with all the people that
were awarded this fall for their drive and inspiration in pursuing
the common good.
I also want to thank
Access Press staff for their dedicated service to the paper, to
the community, and to me as editor: currently Lance Hegland and
Bret Hesla, but also the staff members who have moved on in the
past year—Ekta Prakash, David Hadlich and Terri Ricci.
Many thanks as well to all the volunteer writers who have made Access
Press a great paper this past year.
Finally, I want to thank
our Board of Directors for another year of dedication to building
communication among the disability community. Access Press board
members serve for up to six years, and it’s
always hard to say farewell to those who depart even while it’s
wonderful to welcome newcomers. This year it’s very difficult
for me to say goodbye to Mary Kay Kennedy, who has been a huge supporter
of Access Press. Ms. Kennedy, who is codirector of Advocating for
Change Together, is a person whose dedication to vulnerable people
in our community is immeasurable. In the years I have known her,
I have never heard Mary Kay utter bad sentiments about anyone. She
is instead always ready to come to the rescue of someone who needs
a kind word or loyal supporter. Thank you, Mary Kay, for your service
to Access Press. And my personal thanks for your confidence in me.
Have a great Thanksgiving, everybody! ![]()
