Having a positive impact

Hope A. Smith
Published: June 12, 2008

It was with great sadness that I read the article this week about the death of Delbert Lee Linthicum (“Linthicum’s lasting goodbye,” June 11). A lot of us had followed his story and garnered great respect for this man. He really had, as the Star-Exponent recalled, a “glass half-full” outlook on life, despite his struggle with ALS. What a great example of a role model for all of us.

Life is measured not by the money we make, and not by the job we have or the material possessions we own, but by the mark we leave in this world. I didn’t even know Mr. Linthicum, but I wept as I read the article. When we’re feeling like, “Ugh, I really don’t want to get up and go to work Monday,” we should remember that a lot of people cannot. Was Mr. Linthicum a multimillionaire? No, but he was far richer than most.

There are people, living and deceased, that are truly inspirations to our world and society. Helen Keller could not see nor hear, but she made a lasting impression, working with Annie Sullivan, to become an author, activist and a college graduate. She did not let her disabilities stand in the way of her goals and dreams.

My own Aunt Esther is one of my role models. She passed away in 1984, but there’s not a day that goes by that I don’t think of her. Aunt Esther worked at Hazelton Labs throughout her life to support herself and my great-grandmother. In the 1970s, she earned $100 per month and somehow made a life for the two of them. There was always joy in the household, and Aunt Esther always beamed with joy. I never saw her stressed or upset at “the way things were.” She was a very wealthy woman, in love and respect.

There are celebrities that use their fame for good instead of evil (yes, the “evil” was a joke!) Angelina Jolie and her companion, Brad Pitt, have given not only money, but their time and energy to various organizations. Brad Pitt has gone so far as to physically help rebuild houses in New Orleans (jeez, is there any bad quality this guy has? LOL)

Jenny McCarthy has been an activist, helping to raise money for research on the causes and possible cure for autism. Her son is autistic, so it is an especially personal issue for her.

Princess Diana was an incredible role model for a lot of people.

Back in the 1980s, when it was relatively unknown how AIDs was spread from one person to another, Princess Diana was there — in the orphanages, holding babies that were suffering from AIDs.

She never made anyone suggest that it was a publicity stunt; rather, it was something that came straight from her heart, again using her fame for good deeds.
Franklin Delano Roosevelt is another fine example of the glass half-full mentality.

His paralysis from what was originally thought to be polio in the 1920s (it was actually Guillain-Barre syndrome) drove him to seek a cure for paralysis. His drive helped him to found the “National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis,” now known as March of Dimes. It’s no wonder he was elected President four times — not counting his politics, he was one heck of a role model.

Bill Gates, co-founder of Microsoft, along with his wife Melinda, started their Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to benefit various charities. One is a global health program, benefitting such causes as AIDs research, children’s vaccine programs and various infectious disease organizations. Another is the global development program, giving financial services to the poor, agricul-tural development and global education, just to name a few. One of the largest parts of their foundation is the U.S. Program, for which they’ve donated hundreds of millions of dollars.

I guess the point of this week’s column after my incredible digression is recognizing how people we’ve never met have affected our lives.

My thoughts and prayers go out to Lee Linthicum’s family, and please know what an incredible impact his life story has made, not only on me but also on an entire community.

Hope A. Smith is an independent columnist and resident of Orange County. Her column appears on Friday.
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