By Mike Hyland

Executive Director, NEPPA

When I was a child, my mother told me a simple expression: “If it is to be, it is up to me.” I can’t remember my exact age, maybe 7 or 8 years old and undoubtedly I was mad that one of my 6 brothers did something that was deemed unfair in my youthful mind. My Mom was quick to resolve the issue of fairness, and pushed me to remember those words in order to ‘get on’ with my day and ‘get over’ myself and my self-pity. I have used that mantra ever since, realizing that my satisfaction, my education, and my wins and losses fell into my hands and no one else’s. Whether I was on the mat wrestling in High School, or playing on a football or lacrosse team, by keeping the focus on my actions and not others, I found that a win was more satisfying, and a loss was more devastating. Having skin in the game taught me to self-evaluate at every turn: did I practice enough, did I study enough, did I work hard enough?

As I aged and approached my college years, I found a love for history, especially those that made crucial impacts to the United States. There’s plenty of them to go around, and many are favorites of mine. Abraham Lincoln, Francis Marion, Audie Murphy to name a few. It wasn’t until I moved to the DC area in 1996 that I spent a bit of time focusing on another American Patriot, Theodore Roosevelt. I found him fascinating – mostly since he was so diverse in his experiences compared to many heroes that I had enjoyed studying. Roosevelt wasn’t the hero of one war or revolution; he was a sickly child who very well might have lived by those ten two-letter words. He graduated Harvard, he served in the US Army, was a cattle rancher in North Dakota, served as New York City’s police commissioner, served as the assistant Secretary of the US Navy, Commanded the Rough Riders in Cuba, won the Nobel Prize, served as Governor of New York, was elected to Vice President of the United States and became the youngest President of the United States still to this day at the age of 42. Amazing stuff.

In Washington DC there are a variety of monuments that millions of visitors seek out and marvel in their beauty. The Washington Monument, WW2, Vietnam, Korea, Jefferson Memorial, MLK, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt Park are all wonderful to see. However, a memorial no one tends to visit is the Teddy Roosevelt Island Memorial since it’s not on the mall in downtown Washington DC. It’s only a couple miles away, but the entrance is off a highway on the Virginia side of the Potomac River. In many ways, it’s a hidden gem. In 1996 I visited the 80+ acre island for the first time, and having visited this island approximately 50 times since, it’s still my favorite. In the middle of the park is a 60-foot statue of Teddy in full oration, and the four pillars behind him are a must read for every visitor. The words on those pillars cover the following topics: Youth, the State, Nature, and Manhood. The pillars are combinations of a variety of speeches Teddy gave over the years, but my favorite all-time single quote was given by him during a trip to Paris in 1910:

“It is not the critic who counts: not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles or where the doer of deeds could have done better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly, who errs and comes up short again and again, because there is no effort without error or shortcoming, but who knows the great enthusiasms, the great devotions, who spends himself in a worthy cause; who, at the best, knows, in the end, the triumph of high achievement, and who, at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who knew neither victory nor defeat.”

Words to remember, words to live by. A bit more eloquent than the ten two-letter words offered by my mother in 1971. However, I think they are linked in meaning. Today I watch as ‘Key Board’ warriors attack our utilities using weapons such as Twitter, Facebook, Link-In, and every other software app that pops up on their phones. It's easy to do so, and in many ways is getting even easier. There’s no ramification for their complaining, and there certainly isn’t a test of their knowledge of the subjects on which they complain. Rather than rolling up the sleeves and jumping into the arena, it’s much easier to stay off the field and grandstand from the bleachers.

The servant employees at the municipalities and coops throughout the northeast who continue to keep their heads down and ‘strive valiantly’ to operate a well maintained, safe, reliable and cost-effective electric utility are truly in the arena. The challenges to our business model and industry as a whole will only become more numerous and more complex to solve as we move forward. Let’s keep at it.

If it is to be, it is up to us. You are the hidden gem.

Sincerely,

-Mike

Executive Director

NEPPA

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Scholarship applications are currently being accepted for NEPPA's NEW Student Scholarship Fund. Submit today to be considered for one of the limited scholarships available!

·    One ($500) Scholarship directed at students currently enrolled in college or trade school program during 2023 program year.

·    One ($500) Scholarship directed at students who are seniors in high school during the 2023 school year, recipients should be enrolling in college or trade school program upon HS graduation

and email to scholarship@neppa.org or mail to

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Applications must be submitted by March 31, 2023 

to be considered. Awardees will be notified by the Scholarships Committee. If you have any questions, please email scholarship@neppa.org.

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