by John Hawkins,
President and CEO, The Club
Ever had a change of plans that changed your life? Or have those plans changed for you?
Herb Moore did, in a major way. Herbert Moore, Retired, Controller’s Office and Club Member, went into World War II an Army accountant and came out a combat engineer, doing all sorts of critical and dangerous things to support the front-line troops.
He swept for mines for hours at a time. Can you imagine how stressful that would be? He helped build pontoon bridges strong enough for tanks and convoys to cross the Rhine River. He dug trenches. He fixed critical roads. He nearly froze to death in the Battle of the Bulge.
All pretty impressive for a guy who only thought he’d be doing military budgets.
This month of Independence Day, we honor Herb not only for the heroic and bottom-line actions he performed in the name of freedom, but for his willingness to change course and do whatever it took to defeat an enemy that had murdered some of his family members in the Holocaust.
In a much larger way, World War II – and all American wars – changed the plans of nearly every next-door man and woman who fought in them. Too many never came home. But they all agreed to do whatever it took. And they did.
I was thinking about that while we were producing Herb’s story for print and online – we started producing it on the anniversary of D-Day, June 6. We interviewed Herb last October, but putting it together on the anniversary made it all the more real.
So for all those whose lives were altered permanently and forever by serving freedom, the Club salutes you. Thank you for your service.
Moving on … I am heartened by the Club Member response to the death of one of our favorite City employees, Maggie Whelan. Her death hit us hard here at the Club. Thank you for letting us publish your tributes and photos. Moments like this are one of the reasons we are committed to producing strong communications, both in print and online.
Have you applied for a Club Scholarship? Don’t wait! The deadline is the end of this month.
This summer, keep the Club discounts in your travel plans! Hotels … car rentals … attractions … and those awesome Discounts Powered by Entertainment on food all across the United States. Save money, have fun, and give your family something to remember forever … without paying full price.
I wish all our Club Members and our Veterans a very Happy Fourth of July. Forever may we stand!
— John
