June 2015 Leadership Reflection

June Leadership Reflection:

Moving the Wheels of the World

        The pages of history books are filled with the names of great leaders – or rather, with the names of leaders whom historians consider to be great. There is no doubt that great leaders recognized by historians have made a tremendous impact on world history, but there are perhaps even more “unsung heroes” in human history than “famous heroes.” These largely unknown people were leaders and shapers of our world, just as much as the “big names” were, but they are seldom – if ever – remembered, and some historians might even try to denigrate their contributions or dismiss them as wholesale fantasy.

        But we know better, don’t we? As J. R. R. Tolkien observed, “Yet such is oft the course of deeds that move the wheels of the world: small hands do them because they must, while the eyes of the great are elsewhere” (The Lord of the Rings: Book 2, Chapter 2). Even though few (if any) of us will ever become well-known or “famous” enough to be mentioned in history books, we know that our work at the University of Illinois is both meaningful and impactful. The administrators, faculty, and students whom we support are slowly but surely changing the world for the better through teaching, research, and public engagement. As we walk down the hall in our office building, one day we just might meet the next Harriet Tubman or Thomas Edison unawares! World-changers and world-impactors are all around us, and we can join with them in their great tasks just by doing our work each day. Even if we don’t live to see the seeds that we sow come to full fruition, that shouldn’t hinder us from doing what we do with hopefulness and helpfulness, because the end results of our labors may be far better than we can possibly imagine from the limited perspective of a single human lifetime.

        As the Illinois summer opens with a parade of patriotic holidays like Memorial Day, Flag Day, Juneteenth, and Independence Day, let us remember the example of Betsy Ross (1752-1836), an upholsterer and seamstress from Philadelphia. According to longstanding tradition, she was commissioned to create the first American flag, designed to symbolize the unity of the thirteen disparate colonies as a single nation. Widely known as the “Betsy Ross Flag,” it features thirteen horizontal stripes in alternating red and white, with a circle of thirteen white five-pointed stars on a blue field in the upper left corner. The thirteen stars and stripes represented the thirteen American colonies that were declaring their independence from Great Britain.

        Historians may dispute the claim that Betsy Ross created the first American flag, but let us put the academic controversies aside and simply enjoy the story of how one woman, who didn’t achieve fame or fortune in her own lifetime, has had an enduring (and endearing) impact on the American people, and especially on all the brave men and women who have sacrificed their lives so that we could live out our own lives in peace and freedom. Look no further than Betsy Ross to learn how doing our everyday work can change the world for the better – both in the present day and for future generations yet to come. That’s what leadership is all about – doing what we do every day, with a hopeful and helpful mindset, working for better times ahead.

“Betsy’s Battle Flag”

By Minna Irving (1872-1940)

1. From dusk till dawn the livelong night

She kept the tallow dips alight,

And fast her nimble fingers flew

To sew the stars upon the blue.

With weary eyes and aching head

She stitched the stripes of white and red.

And when the day came up the stair

Complete across a carven chair

Hung Betsy’s battle-flag.

2. Like shadows in the evening gray

The Continentals filed away,

With broken boots and ragged coats,

But hoarse defiance in their throats;

They bore the marks of want and cold,

And some were lame and some were old,

And some with wounds untended bled,

But floating bravely overhead

Was Betsy’s battle-flag.

3. When fell the battle’s leaden rain,

The soldier hushed his moans of pain

And raised his dying head to see

King George’s troopers turn and flee.

Their charging column reeled and broke,

And vanished in the rolling smoke,

Before the glory of the stars,

The snowy stripes, and scarlet bars

Of Betsy’s battle-flag.

4. The simple stone of Betsy Ross

Is covered now with mold and moss,

But still her deathless banner flies,

And keeps the color of the skies.

A nation thrills, a nation bleeds,

A nation follows where it leads,

And every man is proud to yield

His life upon a crimson field

For Betsy’s battle-flag!

Resources for Further Exploration

·        http://historicphiladelphia.org/betsy-ross-house/what-to-see/ à This is the official website of the Betsy Ross House in Philadelphia.

·        http://www.ushistory.org/betsy/ à Visit the Betsy Ross Homepage to learn more about the life and legacy of this great American leader!