In Memory Gerard J. Cerny

February 5, 2007

The poet said that every death diminishes me. Perhaps none more so than the death today of Gerry Cerny. I prefer to look at that question from a different perspective. Every life nurtures me and perhaps none more so than the life of Gerry Cerny.

The time seems like a century ago now. 1982. The place far away as well. Anderson, Indiana. There, the local United Way office was tucked into the corner of the Boy Scout Council office. Perhaps it is still there. Gerry and I (and our respective families) moved out about the same time – just over a year later in May of 1983 but we never moved apart.

We both long ago left our United Way jobs but Gerry never stopped being my coach, my mentor and my friend. Fortunately, the pace of technology has allowed us to be in almost daily contact. And our shared faith has also kept us close to each other and close to our mutual friend, Jesus of Nazareth.

They say no one remembers the second anything. Who was the second man to cross the Atlantic in a plane? Who was the second man to the North Pole?

But Gerry was a special first and only. Only one person could be my first boss. Somehow, with hundreds of resumes for a position and 20 percent of the town unemployed, Gerry plucked my resume out of the pile and hired me to join his staff in Anderson, Indiana. When he made me his staff member, he became my first boss – “prima sporgenza.”

Long before anyone ever thought of the bill now called “Sarbanes-Oxley,” Gerry taught me integrity. Gerry taught me accountability. Gerry taught me transparency. Gerry taught me pragmatism. Gerry taught me that we can each only do what we can do but if we treat each other with honesty, respect and openness, the end result will build up the community.

Gerry reflected the small town values that are accentuated in a town like Anderson where everyone knows the mayor and the head of the bank and the junior staffer from United Way can walk into the general manager’s office at the local GM plant and help plan a speech or special event even if the kid has no experience.

From the first day on the job, Gerry treated me as the expert. I’ve probably failed to follow his prescription for good and effective manager, husband, father and friend hundreds of times more than I have succeeded at following his example so freely given.

One time, we invited Gerry and Judy to our house in Virginia and planned to cook a turkey and have a “thanksgiving” dinner with them. But for some reason, the stubborn bird would not cook through and through. We gave thanks anyway for their friendship.

Gerry also taught me that it’s o.k. for a man to cry…in public. Not just the private tears that keep flowing as I write this. But sitting in a restaurant having to make a business trip the day after his cat died. He loved that pet and didn’t care who might see his tears of love and sadness.

Gerry was a survivor. He survived Viet Nam. He survived the ups and downs of his United Way career. Gerry was a healer, too. He was given a disease that could have taken him from us years ago. But through faith and modern medicine, he survived much longer than his doctors told him. So he visited patients in the hospital who also faced the same mountain that he climbed.

Ah, but as the Haitian proverb says, “There are mountains beyond mountains.” After living a full life, Gerry just could not climb that last mountain. Jesus of Nazareth needed him in a different place.

I looked back over some of the messages we have traded recently and found this item which has probably gone around the internet a few million times. Gerry sent it to me last year around thanksgiving.

Charles Schultz Philosophy

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schultz, the creator of the "Peanuts" comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions. Just read the e-mail straight through, and you'll get the point.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners !

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with .

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care .

Pass this on to those people who have made a difference in your life.

"Don't worry about the world coming to an end today. It's already tomorrow in Australia" (Charles Schultz)

Dear Gerry,

You made a difference in my life. I am not alone in putting your name at the top of the entire list of questions in the second part of that quiz.

I will join a lot of people in missing you. But I also will join the multitudes who will thank God we knew you and you made a place for us in your life. I can’t imagine what our world would have been like without you in it.

Requiem aeternam dona eis, Domine; et lux perpetua luceat eis.

Eternal rest grant to Gerry, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May his soul and the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.