Some heroes know to rise above

Happy Friday! Here’s an idea:

Just Wright Citrus Heroes Hall of Fame.

The thought came to me Wednesday night while writing about the Crystal Memorial Gardens Cemetery restoration project, headed by Andrea McCray.

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I started to write that Andrea is a charter member of the Citrus County Heroes Hall of Fame — and then realized we don’t have one.

Yet.

First off, this is very subjective. I mean…it’s my opinion. And yours. We’re doing this together. I made sure the name reflects that.

We have thousands of heroes scattered throughout Citrus County. The JWC Heroes Hall of Fame is for those who, whenever I encounter their latest project, I think: “Man, that person impresses the heck out of me.”

 Some criteria:

— This isn’t necessarily Citizen of the Year. Unlike most Halls of Fame, retirement from service is not a requirement. We’re not inducting people for what they did 20 years ago. That’s a different Hall of Fame. Our inductees should be CURRENT superstars.

— Ability to inspire. The most important aspect of any Hall of Famer is inspiring others to share the vision and act on it.

I don’t think he’s Hall of Fame material quite yet, but Dave Vincent certainly inspired people who shared his vision and acted on it in his successful campaign for sheriff. If you want to know how to do it, follow Dave’s example.

Inspirational leadership passes from one to another. All JWC Heroes Hall of Famers will be people whose names are synonymous with inspiration.

— Integrity. Yup, our Hall of Famers should be decent people. I’ve decided in my elder years that a politician’s vote isn’t nearly as important as what’s in his heart. I use the same approach for most people. Hero Hall of Famers should walk the talk. They seek solutions, not accolades. You rarely hear their name mentioned in a negative way. They’re glass-half-full people who are constantly trying to figure out ways to fill up the glass.

— Takes on the tough stuff. You’d be surprised how many people around here talk a good game but won’t stick their necks out for the common good. That’s disappointing, frankly, and something I’m constantly badgering certain leaders about. Helping a community move in a loving, prosperous, and exciting way means participating in difficult conversations.

Just Wright Citrus Heroes Hall of Famers don’t retreat from difficulty. They embrace it.

— Leads by example. People know. Got it? They KNOW. They tell the difference between a talker and a doer.

I attended an event during the summer that had huge community participation. It was a broiling hot Saturday and dozens of volunteers baked under a cloudless sky.

I saw a whole bunch of JWC Hero Hall of Fame nominees that day. 

— No excuses. These people are the biggest pains in the rear, but their success rate is unmatched. I worked 34 years for Gerry Mulligan. He was extremely mission-focused at the Chronicle, and he wanted his workers to share that focus. All the time.

Ginger West, who will be inducted posthumously, founded and ran the nonprofit Family Resource Center. Her mission was getting toys and clothing to children of our community’s homeless and poor. Ginger was the sweetest, kindest person you’d ever meet. Just don’t tell her something can’t be done, or that it’s too difficult.

Whenever I tried that, Ginger would just stare at me. Wouldn’t say a word. I could read the disappointment in her face. And it’s not like I’m hanging around her office. These were occasional conversations about newspaper stories.

Hero Hall of Famers don’t take no for an answer.

— Not afraid to ignore naysayers. My God, we have lots of those these days. The negativity is exhausting. Some folks are looking for any reason to be unhappy, angry, and self-righteous.

The JWC Heroes Hall of Fame inductee is confident enough to ignore that noise to stay focused on mission. Most people won’t follow chaos forever; heroes committed to a worthy cause know that.

— Obvious love for our community. All the criteria wrap into that. To clear the hurdles I just described and to do them daily shows a locked-in affection for Citrus County. They’re walking billboards, proof of success that comes from people working together for a common good.

Well, I meant to get into some inductees, but we’re out of time. So, you do it. Give me suggestions. We’ll bring it back in a week or so.

We have some real Hall of Famers around here. Let’s lift people up.

As for today’s photo, the location should be an easy one. Have a great weekend, friends.

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