From: Kathy Clark
<kathy@shearmadness72.com>
Sent: Saturday, September 12, 2015
8:40 AM
To: McClenon, Chuck
Cc: Carol McClenon; Lee Mcclenon;
Bob McClenon; Ann Haglund
Subject: Re: McClenon Fund - Long-term
Purpose
Chuck:
Thanks for your response. I want to share a story which, at least
to me, has relevance here.
Some years after starting my software company in Northern
Virginia, I was invited to join a small group of successful local businessmen,
all of whom were very wealthy. I was the first woman member, probably 30 years
younger than the average age, and with less than 10% of the net worth of even
the poorest member. They had chosen me to be the first woman because they
wanted to diversify their group and I had demonstrated some leadership in
non-profit and community organizations. I learned a lot from these “good old
boys”.
They were from many different business backgrounds – lawyers, real
estate developers, entrepreneurs. There were the most liberal of Democrats and
the most conservative of Republicans and everything in between. But what they
had in common transcended the differences – they had a real interest in
creating a vibrant, successful Northern Virginia, and they had a strong
commitment to the local community and to philanthropy. This group helped me
transition from being a company CEO to being a business leader in the
community. I learned to understand the importance of local politics,
fundraising for important causes (I chaired several gala events, including the
American Heart Association) and how to leverage business success into power to
affect positive change.
Like the McClenon Fund, this group has struggled with passing its
mission down to the “next generation”. With most of the original members now in
their 80’s and 90’s, it has been up to my generation to continue the mission
and the group is finally on track to do that. And like this group, the McClenon
family has a great deal of diversity of thinking as Chuck points out. I have
always thought there is far more to be learned from associating with people
with different points of view than with those who are in agreement with
everything I might think.
My interest in keeping the Fund alive is well expressed by both
Chuck and Lee – that is, teaching our family about the importance of
philanthropy and giving back, while also providing a mechanism for family to
stay connected. I am less concerned about the specific causes we choose to
support.
Kathy
From: Chuck McClenon
<mcclenon@austin.utexas.edu>
Date: Sunday, September 6, 2015 at 6:04 PM
To: kathy clark <kathy@shearmadness72.com>
Cc: Mary Carol McClenon <rgscarol@hotmail.com>,
Lee McClenon <lmcclenon@gmail.com>,
Bob McClenon <robert.mcclenon@verizon.net>,
Ann Haglund <nicolaides.marketing@gmail.com>
Subject: Re: McClenon Fund - Long-term Purpose
IN response to "Why should we bother to keep this Fund alive?
Why not just give away all the money we have and shut it down?” I
reply, “freedom’s just another word for nothing left to lost.” Or,
as Carol and I traded notes recently on an unrelated matter. Chuck:
"It leaves me with the peculiar problem of not having any pressing
tasks to procrastinate.” Carol: "No problem, I can
lend you some of mine.” This is very much a question of what
is worthy of concern and involvement. If, in this contentious
environment, there is nothing that we collectively can effectively
influence, then we should walk away from this, and focus our thoughts on other
worries. So, is there some bond and some understanding among ourselves
which is worthy of our attention and distraction from all those other
concerns?
But against that cynicism, I appeal first to family. The
Fund held together for the past decade and some because some cousins felt
special connections to other cousins, and to Paul. We have not
always kept in close touch with our cousins, but over the years we have
found and nurtured new connections to each other. Our parents were all
remarkable people, with remarkable life-stories, often defying convention. As
of course were our grandparents. In this generation, we have followed
diverse paths, and made impacts in many different ways. And I think we
have come to value and the breadth of these accomplishments.
And I’ll underscore this by way of comparison. The Cramer
family, the descendants of my wife’s grandparents, are very close-knit.
They have a family reunion every year, with a large group of the aunts,
the cousins, our children's generation, and now the babies. This year
there were 37 people there. It is an outpouring of Evangelical love.
The values which bind them together are obvious. Their life
paths are similar. Many of them pursue career paths in medicine and
nursing, teaching, ministry and engineering, and marry others in those paths.
It is easy to cheer each other on, when we understand each other
seemingly so well.
But among us McClenons, consider the paths of Dave, Tom, and
Carol, and Kathy, so very different, and should I be ashamed that the most
daring thing I did with my life was to teach a year in China? We
recognize and quietly celebrate the diversity of our talents achievements, and
differences in viewpoint. That ability to appreciate and celebrate is a
remarkable thing, and it’s a gift which we have to give (and I argue “hafta
give”) to our children, nieces and nephews. And so before I get
into, “so what does the Fund advocate for?”, it advocates for Making a
Difference, and Individuals recognizing and speaking out for where we can Make
a Difference.
As I thought about how I would write this, my second part was
going to be some consideration of the original stated purpose of the Fund, and
the kinds of causes it would support, and how they still exist today, though in
different forms. In other words, to celebrate the wisdom of the
founders. But I am reminded that when Paul visited his mother for the
last time, her words were something like “if you’ve come to the old lady
to ask for words of wisdom, you’ve come to the wrong place.” Walter’s
goal, when he handed the project off to his teenage son, was to promote the
search for new wisdom. The role of the elders is only to advise and
guide, and celebrate.
chuck