By Louis A. Zona
YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio – I received a phone call from the head of a search committee of a Southern college that was looking to hire a president.
The head of its search committee was a vice president, a woman who apparently had turned down several applicants for a variety of reasons.
I was not surprised to hear the answer to my question, “What are you looking for in a president?”
After a particularly long pause she answered, “Dr. Zona, we’re primarily looking to hire a nice person.”
She was being honest that its past president just might have been difficult to work with or unwilling to work well with others. Who knows. But the college had clearly experienced a not-so-pleasant personality and was looking for someone who could make the working environment a good one.
I did recommend a qualified person who more than anything else is a terrific person.
Large egos can be a problem.
I often think of the popular song by the late Michael Jackson that became a major hit.
The song was actually composed by a number of major musical stars and attempted to discuss the possibility of a time when there would be world peace.
Jackson, who headed up the project, sensed that putting so many great talents together could cause friction and ego issues. So he tacked up a sign at the music studio that read, “Leave your ego at the door!”
It was a recognition that one of the stars might be self-absorbed to the point it affects the success of a major goodwill project.
I guess we expect artists will have a heathy ego. But egos, for the most part, need to be under control.
I knew a colleague who was a remarkable artist who had the ability to create works of art that amazed. His talent level was, as they say, off the chart. He had been a child musical prodigy as well as a visual artist and was hired by General Motors right out of college.
No one could accuse him of not having an ego. Let’s just say that his ego was in check.
Because of a strong sense of self-worth, he was able to create what I believed were true masterpieces. They were accomplished without redirecting an ego injurious to others. He was a very special man.
I’ll never forget knowing another extraordinary man, John Ellefson, who coached me in baseball.
A more wonderful and caring man never existed. What John taught me without drawing attention to himself was that a simple pat on the back can go a long way in making others – in this case, a young ball player – feel special.
I was a shy kid from the south side of New Castle who had little self-confidence on the field or off. To John, we were all very special.
The last time that I saw Mr. Ellefson, we met in a grocery store parking lot. He had moved to Rochester, N.Y., and was a school administrator.
I eventually received word from a fellow admirer of John’s that he had died. Can a single person with a kind heart make a difference in the world? The answer is, of course, yes.
And isn’t it interesting that in a world where so much hate seems to dominate, people like Mr. Ellefson are the bright lights that keep us in a better place.
I once heard a lecture by a famous psychology professor who preached love. And then there was my Grandma Zona, whose favorite words were, “lay nice” – which always seemed to be the right answer, at least when we were kids.
As director of The Butler Institute of American Art, I can’t begin to share with you the times that people have told me that the art galleries of The Butler have a way of soothing them and offer peace and solitude. It’s wonderful to hear that art does indeed calm us in a world fraught with anxieties and filled with sadness.
Last Sunday, I met a young couple who seemed to be having a wonderful time trying to identify the paintings that hung in one of the contemporary galleries at The Butler.
After a short while, they gave up trying to remember the titles of the artwork. The one painting that they seemed to be fixated on was an abstract piece by New Yorker Robert Natkin.
When I told them that the title was “Romulus and Remus,” they had the best time trying to find Romulus and Remus within an abstract painting. And, of course, the founders of Rome appear nowhere in the painting. You might say that fun was held by all.
All of this is to say that art just might be the antidote to a world dominated by degrees of pain and heartache.