Soul Train to Heaven

I had a chance to spend time with Don Cornelius on several ocassions -



When I was a little girl, I was on a show that mimicked "Romper Room" and it was shot at WCIU in Chicago. There were four of us on the show and the moderator. "Soul Train" was just getting off the ground. When our show finished, Don Cornelius took over the stage and they brought out the trademark "Soul Train"
engine. It was a mock up of a train engine and Don started the show there. We would watch the teen-agers pour onto the set. It actually did always end with him wishing us "Love, Peace, and Soul". I couldn't have been more than 7-8 years old.



When I started working at Central City Productions, I learned that the owner of the company, Don Jackson, had once sold advertising for Don Cornelius, and that they had a friendly rivalry that went back many, many years. Cornelius worked with (absolutely not for) Don Jackson on some of his projects - the one I remember most was when I did the Luster Products Concert. The two appeared on stage together and it was my job to get them out there on time. Big men - bigger egos, and I'll leave it at that! Both good people.



Later I was working at JPC and learned that Don Cornelius had once sold Supreme Life Insurance for Mr. Johnson - that's where he learned to dream big and achieve. He came to JPC and we saw each other again.



I remember the Soul Train tribute at Grant Park on Labor Day and it was SO crowded over there that you couldn't get on Michigan Avenue or Lake Shore Drive, the crowd was so dense. You could hear the music two blocks away, and we were partying down!



Now he's taking that last mile alone. His work ethic and dedication will be greatly missed.

A GREAT TEACHER MAKES AN INCEDIBLE DIFFERENCE

If you are lucky - one or two teachers made a positive impression on your life that you still feel today - if you are very lucky you got that from 3-4 teachers. If you're incerdibly lucky like me, you had many positive impressions and one of those people was as special as Alta Blakely, one of my English teachers. Ms. Blakely read a story I wrote about life as a freshman, being a stranger in a strange land, and her feedback was so powerful, so insiteful and telling, it was if she had known me for decades, and in truth it was only my second week in her class. I did everything possible to get into all of the mini classes she was teaching, but I was finally successful in getting her for a class on the Old Testament. Several religions were represented in the class and she encouraged us all to bring our own Bibles - it was one of the best classes I ever had. It influenced me to go to Loyola, a Jesuit school that enphasizes Theology and Philosophy in it's curiculum. During that last year at Kenwood, there was a teacher's strike. It began as we were preparing for AP exams, final college exams and college essays. It was an incredible hectic time and the school was closing on us. Who knew when the school would re-open and who knew if we would have enough time to meet our deadlines. Ms. Blakely stood by us, saw the broader picture and told us that no matter what happened with the strike, we still needed to stand up and be counted among the other students who were applying for college that year. She opened her home to us for classes to make sure we had the necessary preparation. That strike seemed endless, but it made me aware how easily we could be pawns in a game of political one upsmanship. If you want to make sure your interests are taken care of, you must always speak up. That strike and others like it helped me choose Human Resources as a profession. I've always admired Ms. Blakely's courage in working with us when many of her colleagues felt that she shouldn't do anything that may hurt the strike. I was one of a small group of my classmates who went to visit Ms. Blakely every year we could to thank you for her selflessness.
I'm sad to report that today I learned of Ms. Blakely's passing. She was a courageous defender of the right. The memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 21st at 3:00 pm. Its my hope that you will join me there to say our final good byes to a woman who helped us to become the people we are today.
Alta Blakely

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Blakely, Alta Marie Age 92, 60-year resident of Hyde Park, former English teacher at Hyde Park High School and Kenwood Academy, died January 4th in her Montgomery Place apartment. Preceded in death by 1st husband, Thomas Farr, 2nd, Robert Blakely, brother Richard Eckhoff. Survived by her children Cara Farr (husband Roger) Keller, Raye Farr, Stanley (wife Cecilia) Farr, grandchildren Dan, Mark, Greg, Karen, Zac, Ariana, Rachel, & Thomas, nine great-grandchildren, sister Eunice Ericsson & brother Philip Eckhoff. Active in the Hyde Park Historical Society, she was also known for decades of involvement as active citizen, election judge, Midland Author's participant, member of United Church of Hyde Park, & quilt show director. Her memorial service, public welcome, will be at her church, 1344 E. 53rd St. 3:00 P.M. January 21, followed by a social hour. In lieu of flowers, consider Doctors without Borders, doctorswithoutborders.org, her church, or American Lung Association .

Don't Be Afraid of The Headhunter

This morning I was driving to work and Otis Redding’s song “Sitting On the Dock of the Bay” came on the radio.  It’s about a man who travelled from the Deep South to San Francisco to start his life over.  Frustrated and unemployed (not entirely at the whim of others) the man finds himself sitting idly.  As I listened to the song all I could think was this is a very timely song – that’s exactly what’s happening now with people – they’re looking for a job but they have about as much focus as a baby sitting in a butterfly preserve. You’d almost think that they were waiting for a job to come up and knock on their forehead and say “let me in”.  This is too important a task to leave to chance – in America if you don’t work, you don’t eat. Let me encourage you not to give up.

Right now I am working with friends who are trying to fill jobs. They are searching for a few hundred people who are dependable, intelligent, outgoing, and capable of putting themselves out there to make a difference.  Many, many, many years ago I was a headhunter, and I was so young I had no idea what I was getting into.  The thought of calling a complete stranger to ask if they would like to explore another job opportunity seemed like it would be as easy as picking apples off a tree – not so. 

You have a client who knows exactly what they are looking for and you have an entire city filled with at least a few people who can do it.  What would you do if someone asked you if you would like a new job that paid more, offered better benefits and promised advancement and a better life for you and your family?  I was shocked to learn that most people would say “No, thank you.”  Some even said “Hell, no!” and hung up the phone. I couldn’t understand for the life of me why anyone would do that, but as I grew in the profession, I learned.

Some people are so scared or reticent to make a decision that they won’t leave a job no matter how bad it is.  Some have such a fear that reaching out for something that may be a perfect fit is too good to be true. Some are just so afraid of being rejected or being humbled by the process of finding the perfect job that they won’t take the steps necessary to make their lives better. Some people have literally never had a single job that someone else didn’t get for them. Let me tell you something, in the immortal words of Franklin D. Roosevelt, you have nothing to fear but fear itself.

A recruiter has called you about a job and you are frightened to express interest.  Are you concerned that your boss sent a spy in to test your loyalty?  Don’t be – most managers are too busy fielding their own headhunter calls to be worried about whether you’re getting one.  Ask the recruiter to call you at home and make a connection.  You’re afraid that headhunters are just trying to get your hopes up to dash them to the ground – well let’s take a look at this  - you’re told about a job – ask for the headhunter’s info and call them back – it’s usually legit if they give you a phone number.  You don’t want people to know that you’re looking but in the meantime you’re hocking  everything you own – baby, don’t step on your own feet – there’s no shame in looking for a job – right now every other person you know is looking for a perfect fit. Why should you be left behind??? What if you never had a job that someone didn’t get for you – that’s actually quite common – we all have to crawl before we can walk – just don’t hold onto railing too long – you’ll lose faith that you have anything to bring to the table.

Most headhunters get referrals from your friends and colleagues. We keep up with them – I used to have 1,000 phone numbers in my contact drawer, and I was trained in the old fashioned way of doing business – I always called 20 people a day just to see what was going on in Chicago.  Don’t be afraid to give a referral – you might get a referral to your dream job in return.  Good luck on your search!

Let's Get Rid Of SAT and ACT tests

Yesterday “60 Minutes” showed Alison Stewart’s interview with a teen-aged boy who made thousands taking the SAT and ACT for other high schoolers. The boy spent his Saturday mornings taking the test for people and upping their chance of getting into the college of their choice. It was a sad story because the kid got so carried away with his scam that he never thought about the fact that he was stealing (well, at least borrowing) someone’s identity, forging their signature, and creating a baseline of achievement that they themselves could never maintain.  The young man involved is now in college reportedly. 

Alison had some great questions for the boy about how he found out – his parents got a call saying there was a warrant for the boy’s arrest – that’s got to put a crimp in your weekend, right?  I had a few questions that Alison didn’t get around to - who paid for the attorney – did you make enough to pay for one yourself?  Were you charged as an adult or a child?  Did you lose the right to vote?  The kid didn’t seem to be particularly bummed out about this situation – how will he feel about telling his children that he did this one day?

The kicker for me was that the rep for the Educational Testing Service took no ownership for having such a lax method of verifying the identity of the people who take the tests.  If anyone can take these tests – then there are either two answers – 1- offer the tests at the school as the PSAT is offered to help confirm the identity of the child taking the test or 2 – use thumbprints, cornea scans, or other security measures to confirm the identity of the student.  The test is utterly meaningless if anyone can take the test for anybody.  It’s bad enough when superstar high school athletes are sending people to take their tests (sorry, I had to take that shot) but now we have to accept that every Tom, Dick, and Joshua is emptying out their bank accounts to do the same thing – yuch!  I realize this isn’t anything new, but for goodness sakes – next year they will have temp services sending out people to take tests – pitiful! Anyway, I love Alison Stewart and I loved the interview – check it out on line.

Aren't You Watching OWN Yet?

I realize that many people are still crying about Oprah's show going off the air, but guess what, you can get Oprah all day long on her station!

She has some shows that I enjoy as much as her original show and I'll bet you will also. 

The Gayle King Show - I got introduced to Gayle King's show listening to the Oprah Radio Network.  I really enjoyed listening to it on the way to work.  I was really thrilled when she came to TV.  Her show comes on every morning and I'll watch the recorded version while I get dressed.

Ask Oprah's All Stars - here's a chance to listen to others get their quesions answered by Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, and Suzie Orman.  Suzie Orman is practically a neighbor, having grown up down the street from where I did, a long time ago - not sure if we ever met, but her house was definitely in the Halloween circle, so maybe...

In the Bedroom - this is a great show - I haven't heard anything more about it, but I hope they don't get rid of it.  It's very frank, but it does get right down to business.

I watched "Kidnapped By The Kids" and it was delightful, but sad. School supplies don't just pop up out of the ground, so parents have to work, so that conflict can't be completely resolved.

I watched "Ryan and Tatum - The O'Neals "  I promise you, that show didn't have enough time to touch more than the surface of their situation - they need  a few therapists, and an endless amount of prayer.

I watched "Finding Sarah" (of course I did, I wouldn't have missed it) but I couldn't finish it - living in exile was too sad to watch.

I am absolutely adoring "Oprah's Lifeclass" and I'm glad to see that Iyanla has returned to work with Oprah.  She's incredible, I hope she can make it work.

My new reality show obsession is "Welcome to Sweetie Pie's" and anyone who wants to drive down to St. Louis and get a fix on what appears to be the best soul food on earth can join me some weekend - I'm going down there for sure!  The story is uplifting and positive, and it's not a catfight bonanza.  This is a reality show that's real, not vodka induced, and is something you can connect with and feel positive about - join me!

If you can't find something to enjoy on the Oprah Network, you're not trying hard enough.

Get That Job!!!

I have a girlfriend who I help out occasionally and this weekend I had a few minutes to help her screen people who want to be flight attendants.  You’d think that finding flight attendants would be a piece of cake – not so…..

First of all, you have to find people who are compassionate enough to serve and deal with difficult situations – they have to know how to handle crying babies, drunk passengers, passengers who want to do things that are dangerous and unsafe for their own personal satisfaction and passengers who are panic stricken.  It’s not an easy job – I know I could never do it.

It’s hard to find people who can go through that screening process because there are so many people who fall apart.  This is a necessary part of the process, and thousands of people may be contacted but here are the mistakes they are making, most of it by not being available – don’t let this be you:

Answer the phone –get your messages regularly – make sure your privacy manager isn’t keeping  your job from getting to you - recruiters may call hundreds of people to set up interviews – and the first people they reach are usually the first who get the slots. It’s hard when people call a day or two later and they are so disappointed that the interview slots are gone – but what can we do? When it comes to interviews, it’s usually first come, first served.

Use your landline, or make sure your cell phone service is reliable.  The recruiter for your job may be calling from anywhere – even overseas – but if they can’t hear you or get through to you, it’s going to be hard to move you forward in the process.  Recruiters have to make sure their phone service is reliable also, and every area of the country knows where the best cell phone service can be obtained – put your best foot forward and don’t let anything stand in your way in that regard.  I’ve been known to call a  recruiter or two back from my landline to make sure they could understand me, so don’t hesitate to do the same.

Ask the recruiter to repeat the question if you don’t understand it or didn’t hear it clearly – sometimes we weren’t heard and sometimes you’re so nervous about speaking to the recruiter that you can’t think straight (I understand, I wasn’t always the HR Manager).  It’s ok to ask them to say that again – some companies are strict about repeating because we all have to be careful about giving an unfair advantage to an applicant. When I worked at the Palmer House, I had an interview with the Housekeeping Manager for the payroll job.  The manager was from South America, and his accent was so thick, I could barely understand him. He indulged me because I was nice and apologetic, but I know he was frustrated. I got the job, and a few days later I was used to his accent. He was actually one of the best bosses I ever had.  Before I came along he had three people in my position and they had all walked off the job.  He brooked no nonsense, but I was ready to do whatever it took.

Yes, it’s true that companies are recruiting around the clock.  Don’t think it’s a trick if a recruiter calls you late at night or early in the morning.  I’ve done recruiter calls on vacation, on the weekend, and I’ve had applicants who worked the overnight shift and I’ve gotten out of bed and called them.  I called a man who was on his way to Bible Study and his wife was SO annoyed she hung up on me.  Her husband didn’t find out he had been offered the job for two days! She says she forgot I called – I can laugh about it now, but it wasn’t funny at all then.  Maybe you should answer the phone when you’re job hunting – some people don’t take your job hunt seriously.  My parents would find me wherever I was when someone called to offer me a job – sadly, everyone isn’t as dedicated.   Once my mother was throwing a 4^th of July party at the house and White Castle called to tell me that they added me to their schedule. I was carrying pop to the guests in the backyard when my mother picked up the phone.  She called me in and the phone call changed my life – White Castle ended the drought of my summer.  I stayed with them until I went to college, but I still have very fond memories of the place.

Most of all – stay positive.  Once you get the recruiter on the phone, don’t act like you’ve already lost the job – remain upbeat!  Even if this job isn’t the answer, your big break may be right around the corner.  When I interviewed at the Hotel Monaco, the manager really liked me but I couldn’t work FT, I already had a regular job. He recommended me to a friend down the street, and that’s how I started working at the Silversmith.  You never know what’s in store for you.

What Happened During 9-11-2001

It was ten years ago that I was getting ready for work at JPC – I had been there about a month.  I was curling my hair. In the dark ages before DVRs I had two VCRS set up to record the soaps on channel 2 and channel 7 on tapes that I erased every morning.  I had already set up my VCR to tape channel 2 when the news broadcast was interrupted to talk about a plane flying into the World Trade Center. While that seemed odd, it wasn’t entirely implausible that would happen – at that point it seemed an accident. But as a witness was describing the situation to Bryant Gumbel – another plane flew into the east tower just below the camera shot and a giant fireball went into the air. My first thought – everyone’s first thought had to be – “This is no accident!”

Robert was in New York so I called him first, and he was already on the phone.  His secretary asked if she should interrupt him, but at that moment I just wanted to make sure they were far from the disaster. I wasn’t sure he knew about it – it was clear by his assistant’s reserve that she didn’t, and it was too horrifying to fill her in – I had no idea how I would explain it, so I just got off the phone.

I called my mother, who was missing all this action - she was living in Vegas at the time, and it was about 6am there.  She was asleep, so I’m sure I sounded as if I was screeching into her ear when I said “Get out of bed, we’re under attack!” My mother honestly thought I had cracked up. Then I called Robert in Boston knowing he was also already at work – he was in a tall building as I was – and we were more than a little concerned.  He wanted to leave, but he didn’t.  I was on my way to work, and I had no idea what to expect.  I had only been there a month – what was going to happen there – JPC had an office in New York and at that moment I had no idea how far Rockefeller Plaza was from the World Trade Center. 

By the time I got in the car I was listening to an account of the attack on the Pentagon. Chicago looked like a sitting duck. I get to work and catch up with the rest of my family – they were probably all working also. My father was at home watching with rapt attention as I had been.  Alan was leaving work and Adrienne was going home also.  I, on the other hand, had a big day ahead of me.

My first call was to Blue Cross - I had to confirm that terrorist attacks were covered on our insurance plan – what would happen if one of the buildings our employees were in was ever under attack?  What about life insurance?  It sounds cold – but forewarned is forearmed!  Before that day, the World Trade Center had been bombed, but terrorism was still covered on most policies – after that day insurance companies were dropping those provisions like hot potatoes. I had to make sure our terrorist coverage was always in place.  JPC had an office down the street from the White House in DC and the office in Rockefeller.  There was no way to tell what was next, but in case the worst happened, which could have easily been an attack from the Klan, we had to be covered. Since so many people had already gone home or hadn’t come in after the attack, it was hard to get an answer, but I was successful.

I made a lot of friends that day – some people who had lived in DC were astonished that the Pentagon was burning – but we all were reminded that day that everything burns when it is hot enough. We were all waiting for something to happen to the Sears Tower – we couldn’t take our eyes off that building all day. We got to leave after the magazine was put to bed (around 3pm) and the exodus took about five minutes.  Most people were at home already.

I went to my second job – at the hotel, working the evening shift until 11pm.  The person at the Concierge desk was so relieved that she kissed me.  She ran out before she even said good bye and it wouldn’t take long before I understood why.  People at the hotel were frantic to get home or on to their next meetings.  Life had ground to a halt – no airplanes in the air. I wasn’t sure that I would ever get on another airplane again anyway.  There was no answer at Amtrak, and buses were the best bet to get out of town, but they were sold out for days and already behind because of the attacks.  People started taking rental cars and driving them back home in desperation. Only a few restaurants were open, the bars were jammed, and Walgreens was sold out of over the counter medication.

The true drama started when I got home.  I lived in the Illinois Center and the Israeli Consulate was located in the building. Everything was at high alert and a dog team was searching in and under my car like a terrorist was clutching my muffler ready to toss a grenade into the garage. It was a long crazy day and it ended with me staring out the window until I was ready to fall asleep.  Sleep would not come easily for a long time afterwards.