Education

When I graduated from college in 1965, I left college believing that I had received a great education and developed good judgement about what worked and what didn’t work.  I knew I wanted to be a Personnel Director in manufacturing since I was 10 years old.  I was able to take graduate psych seminars and enough math and science to understand equipment and design and minored in English, Philosophy and Theology. I needed to understand people and I picked and chose what would be helpful.  I liked Art Miller’s System for Identifying Motivated Abilities, who recommended that people should do what they love. I liked Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs with self-actualization at the top. 

I had work experience as a musician in night clubs, a steel worker and therapist in summer jobs, but I felt like I didn’t know enough about how things worked and couldn’t wait to find out.   

I was like the kid who visited his grandfather’s farm and was tasked with shoveling horse manure out of the barn.  The kid took to the task and worked as fast as he could.  His grandpa noticed his enthusiasm and asked him why he worked so hard.  The kid looked up and said: “With this much horse shit, there’s got to be a pony in there somewhere”. 

I did discover a lot of bull shit in my coursework, but I did find some ponies. I developed a love for my work and it never seemed like work; it was play and it still is.

Norb Leahy, Dunwoody GA Tea Party Leader