My friend, our friend, John Kleber announced his retirement at the end of our retreat yesterday morning. Though his announcement was met with a standing ovation from the students, the tears told the deeper story of the day.
John has been my friend for nearly a decade and he has become an essential part of the McConnell Center over the last five years. I am not sure what we will do without him, but the good news is that he will not be going far. He will still attend our annual retreats and will occasionally pop in to programs that interest him. But, as he said, he has other lives to live and he must go on to those.
Yesterday morning I picked up John Lukacs' Last Rites and found this line: "When we love someone we see her as God sees her . . ." This is appropriate to say about our friend John Kleber. We have been able to love John and will continue to do so. Perhaps we love him so because he has allowed us to see him as God sees him. His generous spirit will serve to inspire us all in the years ahead and we will always be thankful that he was and remains our dear friend, colleague, mentor, and surrogate Grandfather.
Thank you for the many great memories, John. And, thank you for all the great nights we will still spend on the deck of some cottage in some state park in our beloved Commonwealth.
John has been my friend for nearly a decade and he has become an essential part of the McConnell Center over the last five years. I am not sure what we will do without him, but the good news is that he will not be going far. He will still attend our annual retreats and will occasionally pop in to programs that interest him. But, as he said, he has other lives to live and he must go on to those.
Yesterday morning I picked up John Lukacs' Last Rites and found this line: "When we love someone we see her as God sees her . . ." This is appropriate to say about our friend John Kleber. We have been able to love John and will continue to do so. Perhaps we love him so because he has allowed us to see him as God sees him. His generous spirit will serve to inspire us all in the years ahead and we will always be thankful that he was and remains our dear friend, colleague, mentor, and surrogate Grandfather.
Thank you for the many great memories, John. And, thank you for all the great nights we will still spend on the deck of some cottage in some state park in our beloved Commonwealth.