10 PEOPLE WHO IMPACTED MY LIFE - Part 2 of 2

6. A humble pastor – C.J.B. Harrison
Pastor Harrison, graduate of Cambridge University and a former Anglican minister, was teaching at a monthly home bible study in Riverside when we first met him in 1965. As we sat under his ministry both there and at Westmoreland Chapel in LA, he modeled for us what a church and a pastor could be. He was a breath of fresh air in the Christian world.

7. The woman who changed my world – Betty Friedan.
With her 1963 seminal book, The Feminine Mystique, she was central to the reshaping of American attitudes toward women’s lives and rights. When I read her book I saw myself on her pages and saw all kinds of possibilities. I believe my own daughters have been the true beneficiaries of this brave, creative and daring woman.

8. The man who took a chance on me – Dick McDaniel.
A time in my life came when I needed to be able to support myself, which meant a job that paid a whole lot more than I was presently getting at a tiny secretarial service. I knew I was smart, and I knew I could type fast and well. But with no experience to speak of, I was scared stiff. Responding to an ad in a local paper, I applied for a job as executive secretary. I took a typing test and was then interviewed by the man who needed the secretary. At the conclusion of the interview he acknowledged that I was very inexperienced but he said, “I am going to hire you before you are snapped up by someone else.” My life changed in that very moment.

9. The boss who showed me what management was – Major Oliver Stenvick.
During the four years I worked for Major Stenvick prior to his retirement from The Salvation Army, I did not think I was learning much. He was a tough boss, with high expectations and many demands. He was a hands-on boss and worked as hard as any of his employees. I did my clerical stuff and he did his managing. But when a new inexperienced boss replaced him, I realized just how much I had learned from Major Stenvick. I knew what to do and how to effect it. I took it upon myself to simply insure that staff continued the processes establish by Stenvick. Businesses run well that have good managers. To this day if I walk into a restaurant that has fingerprints on the windows, or a store with a messy interior, I see that management is not doing its job. They need Major Stenvick! And I laugh.

10. The short-tempered man who taught me patience – my own husband, Jerry.
Because I had worked in close proximity to Jerry for three years, when we married I didn’t think there would be any surprises. But there was one big one. This man with such a short fuse in the workplace is about the most patient person I have ever met when it comes to his family and his home life. I don’t know how that can be, but it is true. He is methodical, which I am not. I get frustrated when things don’t move fast, and he calms me down saying it will happen in due time. I prefer not waiting in long lines, but he assures me that we will move forward. If something doesn’t get done today, he will calmly say, “We can do it tomorrow” – and it gets done. His way is so much better than my way, and with all the projects I heap upon myself, the only reason I can tackle them is that he has shown me how. Just keep at it. The end will come. And it always does.


So these are the 10 people who have impacted my life the most. Some were friends. Many were teachers and bosses. Some were family. Many are no longer alive. I think with fondness toward all of them. Each impacted and enriched my life. Yes, I certainly had more people influencing my life than those I’ve written about. But how lucky I was to have each of these 10 in my life.

And naming them is a good way to start the new year.