The America I remember — and mourn
— Donald C. Menzel
A little nostalgia is always a good thing, but in this case it may not be so. Oh, I grew up in an America that was great by some peoples’ standards. Racial discrimination was rampant in the 1940s and 1950s, but much was hidden by schools and social norms. Public schools for blacks and whites were as commonplace as housing and neighborhoods marked by black/white separation. Social norms were not any better. In my little hometown on Route 66, blacks would routinely stop at our roadside restaurant — Bill’s — and order takeout for a fully loaded auto of relatives. Worked for me and others, I thought. After all, why would black Americans want to sit down in our restaurant to eat? Oh, it was a beautiful America, wasn’t it?
The America I remember was beautiful, but it was a beauty seen from a much more conditioned perspective than the one I’ve just described. From day one of elementary school until the high school years, along with my classmates I would dutifully pledge our allegiance to the United States of America. And we believed the words; this was not a rote exercise.
So too was reaching young adulthood when Uncle Sam called. Yes, this was the age of the military draft. I know of no young man who didn’t see it as his duty to join up — Marines, Navy, Infantry, Air Force, Coast Guard. Patriotism’s siren call was loud and clear. The draft didn’t mean involuntary service.
Although WWII had ended in 1945, the Korean Conflict came into clear view in 1950. While I was too young to go to war, I was not too young to watch older boys head out. By the war’s truce in 1953, I was off to high school. The high school years of the 1950s were truly depicted as the age of beautiful dreams; it doesn’t matter who you are — the world is your oyster. Remember I Love Lucy, Gunsmoke, Father Knows Best, The Honeymooners, Leave It to Beaver? It doesn’t get any better than this, does it?
Law and order at home and prosperity for all was the America I remember. I also remember the patriotism that always found expression in the singing of the National Anthem at the startup of a baseball, football, and basketball game, in venues ranging from high schools to colleges to the professional leagues. And today, more than 70 years later, I cannot sing “The Star-Spangled Banner” without shedding a tear.
The America I remember is no longer. Along with a diminished sense of duty and flagging patriotism, the America of today is a sad shell of what it used to be. America has become a soulless entity where care and compassion have been replaced by “me first” cronyism and the pursuit of private interests.
But does it have to be? Ask Donald Trump!
Donald C. Menzel, Ph.D. is a past president of the American Society for Public Administration, author and international speaker on ethics reform. Don organized OLLI-USF’s China Special Interest Group. He also served as an OLLI-USF faculty member for over 10 years. Together with his wife, Kay, Don divides his time between Florida and Colorado and contributes commentary on life’s moments and current issues in both locations.
War in Ukraine — The Fourth Anniversary
Amid the hoopla and friendly competition of the Winter Olympics, we mustn’t forget the momentous and profoundly sad anniversary that will be marked in a week’s time. Four years ago, in mid-February 2022, Russia massed their forces on the northern and eastern borders of the Ukraine while the world sat breathlessly hoping Vladmir Putin would come to his senses and disengage from embarking on a new land war in Europe.
Alas, it was not to be and in the early hours of February 24, 2022, salvos of bombs and drones shattered the night air and changed Europe forever….again. The intended quick victory by Russian forces proved impossible to achieve. Instead, acts of courage on the part of brave Ukrainian citizens and their outmatched army held off the Russian bear, elevating the newly-elected Volodymyr Zelensky to hero status with his words, “I need ammunition, not a ride.”
The war rages on; the parties engage in unattainable peace negotiations. Europe, once united in support led by US munitions and financial outlays, stands fearful and uncertain as American assurances and military aid grow increasingly unreliable. How will this end? No one knows.
Our members frequently spoke out against this war on these pages. Reprinted below is an early personal reaction written by Joan Weaving. You can access the full article here. — Editor
Ukraine
— Joan Weaving
Ukraine was considered part of Russia at the end of the 19th century when all four of my grandparents were born and lived there. My father’s parents lived in the western part of the country in the area called Komenets Podolsk, the section where Jews were allowed to build shtetls. My grandfather’s town, Petrawerowka, is no longer there, but think of Tevye to envision what it looked like. My mother’s parents were wealthier and more integrated, and my grandmother studied at the University of Odessa. Somewhere in that area she met and married my grandfather…even as the revolution was creating chaos and upheaval around them. They lived in the town of Vinnitsa, one of Putin’s targets, and it was from there that they escaped when my grandfather was jailed by the Bolsheviks.
My sister and I traveled to Ukraine in 2013. We began our tour in Kyiv, a modern city punctuated with the distinctive domes of Russian churches. In the northern part of the city is Babi Yar where Jews were lined up at the side of the big ravine and shot into their graves during WWII. Among them were my great grandparents, Shepsa and Sura Gershunovich.
At the end of the Dnieper River, where it empties into the Black Sea, is Odessa. Though modernized, it is still beautiful and historic. In the center is a magnificent opera house which stands as a testament to the cultural haven Odessa is and hopefully will remain. Along the river is a tree-lined promenade where my grandmother described walking during her days as a student. I could picture her strolling there as a young woman, not knowing yet all the things I now knew about her…who she would marry, where she would live, who her children would be.
Our trip ended in Yalta, where we may have been the last Americans before Putin retook that region. There we saw the old Tsar’s palace where Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin divided up the world at the end of the war. Putin reminds me of Stalin in his grab for land.
As I write this, this beautiful country is being destroyed. The Russians have already bombed the Memorials at Babi Yar…poignant and soulful reminders of what man is capable of doing to his fellow man. And Odessa has been in Putin’s sights. Let’s hope this senseless war ends soon.
On March 2, 2022, Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia, which launched an invasion of his country, of seeking to “erase” Ukrainians, their country and their history. Five people were killed in an attack on Kyiv’s main television tower at Babi Yar, the site of World War II’s biggest slaughter of Kyiv Jews and a place of memorial and pilgrimage. Since then, casualties number nearly 2 million with Russia bearing the brunt with 1.2 million killed or wounded, and Ukrainian losses nearing 600,000.
Joan Weaving embarked on a successful business career as the first woman Product Manager for Nabisco, Inc., and a Corporate Vice President for Equitable, before starting her own consulting company in 1988, specializing in leadership development and executive coaching for major corporations. Joan has been an active OLLI participant and has played a key role in the conceptualization and execution of the annual Board of Advisor’s retreat. Joan has led our Exploring Leadership Opportunities class.
A Cartoon by Art Henrikson
Diane Henrikson Russell, Curator
This cartoon was drawn to bring attention to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR). The UN adopted it on December 16, 1966 to formalize international standards for human rights, including freedom of expression. Specifically, it guarantees the freedom to “seek, receive and impart information and ideas of all kinds,…either orally, in writing or in print, in the form of art, or through any other media of his choice.”
Diane Henrikson Russell has been an OLLI Member since 2014. In addition to her ongoing role as Curator of the Henrikson Cartoon Archive, Diane has written over 35 stories for OLLI Connects since its inception and continues to be a frequent contributor. Diane volunteers as a proofreader for the OLLI catalog and for OLLI Connects. Diane was Co-chair of the Volunteer Management Committee from 2019 through early 2023.
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