Notes of Concern….
….Jackson Blair
Lt. Colonel Robert N. Harrington
A Man Who is In The Arena
Today I am writing about one of my own “heroes,”
A great many of my readers know this man. He is Robert N. Harrington.
He inspired strong opinions in people. He had more than his share of detractors and more than his share of admirers. In other words, he played to mixed reviews. This is because Bob chose to be active in life. He took hard positions. He fought for his beliefs.
I found him inspiring. I worked with him for over ten years. For much of that time I had breakfast with him every morning Monday through Friday. Some days he drove me crazy with his uncompromising positions on issues of the day. Other days I found his comments so amusing that they brought a smile to my face every time I thought of them. There were also times when he made a pronouncement of serious depth that caused me to revisit some opinions I had on the issue being discussed.
One memorable breakfast discussion dealt with the “rotation of underwear.” Now this was not a momentous issue but it showed how Bob thought.
Bob felt that if a fellow had a drawer of underwear and wore seven pair of shorts each week, but owned 14 pair, the newly laundered pairs should be put back into the drawer underneath those that had not yet been worn.
Rumor was that after Bob suggested this to his wife he began laundering his own underwear!
As a former military officer with command authority, Bob did tend to address people in a more formal manner than one usually finds in a non-military school. Any kid who thought he was somewhere other than at the bottom of the chain of command came to understand pretty quickly that such an attitude would not work with Lt. Colonel Harrington.
Because Bob served in so many foreign locations with the Air Force he took a special interest in the international students. He knew how difficult it would be for them to adapt to our culture, meet our expectations, actually pass courses all of which were being taught in a language different from their own. He knew these students were taught in English, coached in English, required to eat English food, needed to understand rules that were written, and explained, in English, and had to communicate to a huge number of other students who did not speak their native language.
So Bob loved teaching English as a Second Language. He loved teaching Latin. He loved working with foreign students in preparing them for their TOEFL tests or the SATs. He helped them get into colleges and universities. He encouraged people to take international students into their homes and give them a taste of American life.
Bob enjoys the good fortune of having a large and closely-knit family. They all live in this area of Massachusetts or close enough to get together often. Although Bob was separated and later divorced from his first wife, they work together and engage in family activities together and continue to look after one another.
Many of my readers will know Bob’s sons and daughter: Rob, Mike, John, Mary and Ralph.
Others will know his grandchildren: Jonathan,
Sean, James, Megan, Patrick, Bridget, Nicholas, Julie, Thomas and Danny
Late in life Bob fell in love again. He met his current wife Joan and it was pretty clear to everyone that they were a good pair. I had the privilege of attending their wedding just last summer. It was a wonderful and happy occasion.
Unfortunately, fate threw Bob and Joan a curve shortly after their wedding. Heart pains led Bob to bypass surgery.
The good news was that the surgery was quite successful. However, during his normal recover period Bob developed some other problems. It is not my intention to run through the medical conditions that simply “grew like Topsy” other than to say he has never been out of either the hospital or the rehab facility for eight months.
There are steps forward, then steps backward, then more forward steps. While he would certainly not choose to be an example of how important medical care is to “golden agers,” his situation reminds me every day how the doctors that treat Bob, and Bob’s family, never give up hope. They revel in the successes, and they go right back to the textbooks and the research with every setback.
You have probably heard of the “Fighting Harrigans” of song and dance. Well this family of Harringtons deserves the same fame!
I chuckle occasionally knowing that Bob would be about the worst patient I could imagine. Asking him to stay in bed, or stay in one room, for one week would be a challenge. For eight months simply beyond imagination.
The Colonel can swear with the best of them and I expect the fine doctors and nurses down at the Cape have been on the receiving end of some pretty blue language, not to mention commands and demands.
There is an old saying: “out of sight out of mind.” There is a lot of truth to this.
My friend Bob has been out of sight now for eight months. He may have received a lot of emails or cards at the outset but I am betting the nice lady that pushes the cart around the hospital delivering mail isn’t making many stops at Bob’s room in intensive care after so much time. Our busy lives unfortunately get in the way of staying on top of things like this.
Bob has been looking at the same four walls for some time now. He has an intimate relationship with the clock on his wall. I expect his heart flutters a bit with each Red Sox game. That said, I would like to see a smile on his face more often.
If you are a fan of Bob Harrington, drop him a line and let him know. Remind him of some good times. Send him a joke. Put him on your calendar for once a week or two-week notes or cards.
If you have had your own “run ins” with the Colonel, write him and give him hell again. He will really appreciate it. He likes nothing better than a good fight, or the memories of an old fight. And believe me, you cannot insult him!
Just take a minute to imagine yourself in this situation. That should send you to the Hallmark store!
I have included an address to which you can send a card or a note at the bottom of this column.
In addition to sending cards to Bob, I should tell you that I am sending them to the people who have to interface with him each day. I have a strong suspicion they are not storing his underwear properly, with a proper rotation, and he won’t like that at all.
Cards can be sent to this address:
Bob Harrington
PO Box 146
Winchendon, MA 01475
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