A Personal "Pantheon"

This entry is dedicated to a long-time friend and colleague from our early years as project managers at the University of Utah. A fellow "rebel" (and for me the term is relative) from whom I gained more than he'll ever know, John Huish died in 2007.

John never went anywhere without a small, bound sketchbook and I still smile when I recall him sitting in meetings with university presidents, regents and legislators scribbling gorgeous ink drawings while the discussion droned on.  This is one of those sketches, given to me, based on a book we had both read:

I'd sit by him so I could look over his shoulder and watch what he was doing. "I can only pay attention when I'm drawing," he would insist. I have one of his paintings--a gorgeous watercolor of two America's Cup boats locked in a tacking duel--on the wall above my desk. I'll treasure it forever. (You can read a fitting tribute to John here. Thanks, Mary!)

John once shared with me a personal life philosophy that has become one of my favorite ways of dealing with the challenges of the workplace and life itself. He was an admitted fan of biographies, studying the lives and ways of people he wanted to emulate. He said, early in his life, he had started collecting a personal group of "favorites" among his growing "pantheon" of idols and, when faced with a difficult decision, would imagine being in a favorite place (for him, the Blue Mosque in Istanbul) at a large wooden table, surrounded by the collective wisdom of this group.

As children we look to our parents, our teachers and other authority figures in our lives. Later we begin considering the opinions of our friends, a practice that may or may not bring the best action. Somewhere along the line there comes a time when we start looking beyond those we know to those we may not have met, but whose lives reflect some of the values we wish to develop within ourselves. At first it may be rock stars or entertainers; later it may be the "rock stars" of the corporate world.

Nevertheless, inspired by John's example, I started that very day collecting my own "Pantheon" There were many--some still active in their lives, some long since passed--from whom I have been able to draw personal and professional characteristics that, I must admit, are in varying states of successful implementation. The list changes from time-to-time, as I discover new life stories. But the impact is still the same.

Here are the names of my current group--along with information about each of them. If you click their names, it will take you to a wiki page for each. Try collecting your own "pantheon." I am always amazed at what some with the right combination of ambition and talent have been able to accomplish in their lives.



EXAMPLE
"Never be afraid to dream big dreams. They have a way of coming true."
The first is my father, Warren Beck, who taught me a great deal by his example. Hard work, sacrifice, kindness and dedication pay off.  May not be the wealthiest man by following that lead, but you'll definitely be the richest.  Like all fathers (including myself) I'm sure he hoped I would follow the good, avoid the mistakes, and one day understand. Well, Dad, I do.  And thank you.

Here are the others as shown in the illustration:

LEADERSHIP
“Men wanted for hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success.”
--London Newspaper Ad (1914) placed by Sir Ernest Shackelton

CREATIVITY
“The aim and final reason of all music should be nothing else but the Glory of God, and the refreshment of the spirit."
--Johann Sebastian Bach

HUMANITY
“The true worth of a man is not to be found in man himself, but in the colours and textures that come alive in others.”
--Albert Schweitzer

ACHIEVEMENT
"He was so smooth, he was so clean, he drove with such finesse. He never bullied a racing car, he sort of caressed it into doing the things he wanted it to do."
--A description of "Gentleman Jim" Clark by Sir Jackie Stewart

VISION
"We must learn to understand humanity better so that we can create an environment that is more beneficial to people, more rewarding, more pleasant to experience."
--John Portman

QUIET STRENGTH

"His older brother John is considered the organizational genius behind the founding of Methodism. But without the hymns of Charles, the Methodist movement may have gone nowhere. As one historian put it, ‘The early Methodists were taught and led as much through [Charles's] hymns as through sermons and [John] Wesley's pamphlets.’  The Methodists became known for their exuberant singing of Charles's hymns.  A contemporary observer recorded, ‘The song of the Methodists is the most beautiful I ever heard … They sing in a proper way, with devotion, serene mind and charm.’”

--Said of Charles Wesley

PERSISTENCE
“Here the skeptic finds chaos and the believer further evidence that the hand that made us is divine.”
--Robert Moses

EXPERTISE
“My goal in sailing isn't to be brilliant or flashy in individual races, just to be consistent over the long run.”
--Dennis Conner

CURIOSITY
"People often say that I'm curious about too many things at once... But can you really forbid a man from harbouring a desire to know and embrace everything that surrounds him?"
--Alexander von Humboldt


COURAGE

"Saigo’s death was an antidote to Japan’s cultural malaise... He feared that Japan would... import the façade of Western culture rather than the underlying virtues that had led to Western strength.”

--(Biographer Mark Ravina on) Saigo Takamori

DEVOTION
"Hachiko was brought to Tokyo in 1924 by his owner, a college professor named Hidesamuro Ueno. Each day, when the professor came home at 4 o’clock, Hachiko would go to the Shibuya Station to meet him.  Though this simple act alone shows a tremendous amount of loyalty, that’s not the end of it: The following year, Ueno died of a stroke while at the university. Hachiko didn’t realize that he was gone, and so the dog returned to the train station every single day to await his master."  For ten years, until his death, "Hachiko never shifted loyalties –every day at 4 o’clock, he hopefully waited by the tracks as the train pulled in, searching for his best friend’s face among the people getting off."
--From an article by Kathryn Hawkins about the devoted Hachiko

*Incidentally, the only one of this group I've met personally is Dennis Conner. But that's fodder for another entry. I will say this, John Portman's book "The Architect as Developer," was instrumental in my selection of a career path and experiencing his buildings, like the music of Bach, continues to be a source of inspiration.