In the last few weeks, stories about the heroes and "sheroes" of September 11 have been making their way into the media. They are so inspiring to me. Have you wondered, what makes a person a hero? Is it merely circumstances or are there other factors at work? A tragedy like September 11 certainly brings out the best in some people. But Douglas Malloch reminds us that:

Courage is not just
To bare one's bosom to a sabre-thrust
In sudden daring:
Courage is to grieve
O'er many secret wounds and make believe
You are not caring.

Courage does not lie
In dying for a cause. To die
Is only giving:
Courage is to feel
The daily daggers of persistent steel
And keep on living.

Even before September 11, but only by a couple of weeks, U.S. News & World Report published a special double issue (August 20-27, 2001) with the theme, "Real Heroes: 20 men and women who risked it all to make a difference." There were action figures who, in war and peace, went "above and beyond." There were crusaders for justice, fighting for a good cause. There were extreme explorers, risking it all for science. There were "truth tellers," unafraid to speak out. And then there were the ordinary folks to the rescue, ones who, in a time of crisis, saved lives. After September 11, we have learned about a lot more people in that category.

Last month Harris Interactive asked a cross section of Americans the question, "Who's your hero?" The top ten answers in order were,

1. Jesus Christ
2. Martin Luther King, Jr.
3. Colin Powell
4. John F. Kennedy
5. Mother Teresa
6. Ronald Reagan
7. Abraham Lincoln
8. John Wayne
9. Michael Jordan
10. Bill Clinton

It is heartening to see that three of them, including the only woman, are religious figures. The fact that there are four U. S. presidents shows that political leaders do make a difference. It is not surprising to have a war hero, a movie star, and a sports star as well.

La Sierra University is in the business of producing s/heroes. One never knows when they'll be on call but whenever it is, we want them to be ready. Our strategic plan calls for us to create an environment in which students can succeed in a life of service. Our new University Studies program is designed to help create such persons from an academic standpoint. Our campus Spiritual Master Plan describes the kind of alumnus we are trying to form.

I know I speak for the campus when I thank Professor Charles Teel for his vision of the "Path of the Just," an opportunity to create a visually inspiring walkway that will confront students and visitors alike with role models of altruism. So far the board has approved for commemoration such names as Ana and Fernando Stahl (missioners to the highlands of Peru), Mother Teresa (who gave her life to India), Harry Miller (a Riversider known for founding hospitals in China and his work with soybeans), Elie Weisel (the Holocaust survivor who continues to inspire), Desmond Tutu (who has helped his native South Africa recover from the scourge of Apartheid), John Weidner (who saved a thousand Jews and allied airmen from Hitler in Europe), Pearl S. Buck (the author who founded orphanages in the Far East), Linda and Millard Fuller (who have provided homes for the poor through Habitat for Humanity), Oscar Arias (who received the Nobel Peace Prize for bringing warring factions together in Central America), and Art Pick (the Riversider who, for a generation, promoted peace and justice issues in our own community).

With regard to the latter, at the conclusion of the Stahl Sabbath liturgy at the La Sierra University Church on October 26, 2001, all are invited at noon to inaugurate the first tree in the Path of the Just in honor of Art Pick in what will become known as the Art Pick Community Gateway to La Sierra University (between the administration building and dining commons). A dramatic transformation has already taken place there in preparation for that event in a space designed by Cheryl Nickel, the niece of Inelda Christensen, and granddaughter of Iner Ritchie, MD. Working with the students in Dr. Teel's University Studies class, this "Community Gateway" has become an inviting place to visit, wait, or meet––a fitting tribute to a LSU trustee who worked hard to integrate the University into the community. May this space serve as an attractive entrance to a University campus that will ever do better at producing s/heroes for humanity!

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by Lawrence T. Geraty