SULLIVAN'S SALVOS
September 5, 2011
Sullivan’s Salvos 8/16/11
In this edition:
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
*School Starts
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
*Jean Martin Memorial Service
*Welcome Lynette!
*Greatest Athlete?
*Did You Know?
*Happy Birthday Melissa!
Happy Birthday to my wonderful wife, Dr. Melissa Fath! You will have to look long and hard to find someone who can simultaneously fill the roles of mother, wife, daughter, sister, scientist, volunteer, etc. and fill them all so well!
I am truly blessed to be spending my life with such a wonderful human being.
I love you, Honey! Happy Birthday!
*School Starts
School is starting in Johnson County over the next couple of weeks. You know the drill – leave a little earlier in the morning, and be watching for students of all ages.
Iowa Mennonite gets things started on 8/15. CR Prairie (hundreds of Johnson County kids in that district!), the ICCSD and Regina begin on 8/18. The UI, Kirkwood, Lone Tree, and Clear Creek-Amana start 8/22, Solon is underway 8/24, and Mid-Prairie goes back 8/29.
My son & I spent Friday stuffing backpacks for the Homeless Children’s Trust; it is always an eye opener to see how many kids in Johnson County have so little! Hopefully, all the children in Johnson County will get off to a good start. Best of luck to everyone on the new school year!
*Lone Tree Fall Festival
The last of the small-town “days” is this weekend in Lone Tree. The Fall Festival is a great summer event, and a perfect way to say goodbye to summer.
Lone Tree is a great little town with a lot of pride, and they put on a nice event. I encourage you to check it out!
Events run the 19th and 20th. For a full listing of events, see: http://www.lonetreeiowa.com/cc_fallfest.htm
*Jean Martin Memorial Service
I wrote back in May about the passing of my friend Jean Martin. I am happy to announce that there will be a Celebration of Life for Jean on Sunday, August 21 from 11-2 at North Hickory Hill Park in Iowa City.
The event begins with a potluck at 11; meat is provided. Bring your own chairs and drinks. There will be music, and a service at 1PM.
This is an opportunity to honor a true Johnson County legend. Jean did so much for so many – I hope you can come out to say thanks.
*Welcome Lynette!
The Board of Supervisors is happy to welcome Lynette Jacoby as Social Services Coordinator for Johnson County. Since 1995, Jacoby has served as Program Director/Administrator at United Action for Youth, providing services to assist youth and families in the Johnson County area.
As Social Services Coordinator, Jacoby will oversee social services programs including the General Assistance Program, county obligations for civil commitments, human service block grants and other human service functions.
Jacoby brings a wealth of experience to the Coordinator position. In addition to her work with UAY, she has served on multiple local and statewide boards and coalitions and was a founding member of a statewide adolescent pregnancy prevention coalition that has gained national attention. Jacoby was awarded the Donna Valle Distinguished networking Award from the National Network 4 Youth in 2009 for her extensive work with networking locally, statewide and nationally.
We are thrilled to have Lynette on board. This position requires someone who can simultaneously manage many programs and budgets, yet still maintain a person-centered focus. We are confident that Lynette is exactly the right fit.
Jacoby will start her new position on August 22nd. She replaces Amy Correia who served as Johnson County’s Social Service Coordinator for five years.
*Greatest Athlete?
ESPN and other outlets are currently debating the “Greatest Athlete of the 20th Century”. I disagree strongly with their findings.
First, it is extremely difficult to compare across sports. Is the momentary brilliance of Michael Johnson more impressive than the decades of success of Jack Nicklaus? Do Babe Didrickson and Jim Thorpe deserve extra credit for excelling in multiple sports, for being extremely underrepresented minorities, or both? Can I set aside my personal admiration of Dan Gable?
While these are all fun to discuss, I am disgusted by the choice of Michael Jordan. He is not the leading scorer in NBA history – that is Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Jabbar had a bigger impact defensively, too. Jordan is not the biggest winner – that is Bill Russell, with twice the championships. Jordan never impacted the game like Wilt Chamberlain and Russell.
Some talk about Jordan’s impact culturally. This is where I REALLY get steamed! Michael Jordan had an opportunity to make the world a better place. You can argue that he made it a worse place. American jobs moving overseas to child slave labor gulags creating overpriced shoes that lead kids here kill each other. Gambling problems. Infidelity. Looking out for number one. Nice legacy.
That is why my personal choice is Muhammed Ali. Ali, too, was imperfect. But he changed sports. He changed television. He addressed racial issues. He addressed the war. He stood for something. He impacted US society more than any other athlete. As he himself was fond of saying, “Ali was the Greatest!”
*DID YOU KNOW? You can watch and/or listen to Board meetings! Just visit http://www.johnson-county.com/ and click the “watch meetings” tab on the right side of your screen.
Anyone interested in learning more about County government should take a look at the County website-
www.johnson-county.com.
"Sullivan’s Salvos" is sent once per week to any interested party. It will give a brief update on issues of interest to Johnson County residents.
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As always, feel free to contact me at 354-7199 or rodsullivan@mchsi.com. I look forward to serving you!
---Rod
posted by Rod Sullivan @ 9:18 PM
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