Today I honor my dear friend Jan who was awarded a Doctorate in Public Affairs from Missouri State University. 
We have been friends since Ralph and Jan’s daughter, Claire, were in kindergarten at Greenwood. I still remember Ralph coming home from her first day of school and telling me, “I have a new best friend and her name is Claire.” Their friendship has been rock solid except for a brief period in 6th and 7th grade – and now they both have daughters who will start kindergarten in the fall.
Following the graduation ceremony this morning at MSU, Jan and Claire hosted a luncheon at Jan’s home. The photo shows Jan and I together and Jan is proudly wearing her new hood.
A highlight of the luncheon was Jan sharing her speech that she delivered this morning to the graduates. She has been my mentor for so many years for her community volunteer work – but today she revealed that the term “community volunteer” is no longer in vogue. The new vernacular refers to this endeavor as “community engagement” which encompasses more than just the volunteer aspect. Since I prefer to think of myself as a community volunteer instead of a retiree, I’ll now need to think in terms of how engaged I am with my service.
She also shared that she is a “womanist”. What’s that, you say? According to Jan, a womanist is a feminist who doesn’t burn her bra! To that I can relate.
So here’s to my friend Jan – a pioneer in community engagement and a wonderful role model for me and dozens of other womanists in this community.
