2006.02.27: February 27, 2006: Headlines: Americorps: Obituaries: CBS News: Eli Segal: An Appreciation
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January 23, 2005: Index: PCOL Exclusive: Americorps :
February 22, 2006: Headlines: Americorps: Obituaries: The Morning Call: Eli J. Segal, first head of AmeriCorps, dies of cancer :
2006.02.27: February 27, 2006: Headlines: Americorps: Obituaries: CBS News: Eli Segal: An Appreciation
Eli Segal: An Appreciation
"I have been talking to his close friends, "said Matt Bennett, "and they are all a wreck about this." 'This' is the sickness and death of 63-year-old Eli Segal, a former Democratic campaign operative and head of countless good guy organizations including AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps created during the Clinton administration
Eli Segal: An Appreciation
Eli Segal: An Appreciation
(Page 1 of 2)
BOSTON, Feb. 27, 2006
Eli was a Democratic stalwart who recognized the need for bipartisanship and corporate partnerships to bring about real social change.
(CBS) Dotty Lynch is CBSNews.com's Political Points columnist. E-mail your questions and comments to Political Points."I have been talking to his close friends, "said Matt Bennett, "and they are all a wreck about this." 'This' is the sickness and death of 63-year-old Eli Segal, a former Democratic campaign operative and head of countless good guy organizations including AmeriCorps, the domestic Peace Corps created during the Clinton administration.
Bennett, who worked with Segal in the Wesley Clark campaign for president, had been asked to compile material for an obit, something no one ever wanted to see.
On Wednesday, Boston's Temple Israel was packed with hundreds of friends of Eli's from presidential campaigns ranging from Gene McCarthy and George McGovern to Bill Clinton and Wesley Clark, in addition to many alums of AmeriCorps.
Since the word spread that Eli was seriously ill from mesothelioma, there have been over 7700 visitors to the Caringbridge.org web site, a fabulous site that kept people informed of his condition and allowed friends to e-mail messages of love and concern for the smart, warm consummate citizen and politician who touched so many.
Eli had a wonderful smile and a twinkle in his eye that made you want to see it over and over. My husband - who worked for him as a young lawyer on the McGovern Commission tasked with redoing the Democratic Party's nominating rules - said he never remembered working so hard, not because Eli put any pressure on him but because he never wanted to let Eli down.
David Henkel, who worked for Segal at AmeriCorps, had the same recollection. "Disappointing Eli would be like disappointing your Dad," Henkel said. Eli was one of those inspirational leaders who threw himself into campaigns and causes and brought people with him because his excitement and commitment were so complete and so infectious.
Eli never stopped getting excited about people and causes and never stopped believing he could make a difference. He was, of course, human and would occasionally get discouraged. His friend Miles Rubin once told me that he thought some people got discouraged because their expectations were too high.
But Eli would bounce back and after others from a campaign or a project had returned to "real life," Eli would be back in action and on the phone, coaxing them back, telling them that this candidate or that idea was the greatest yet. And soon they would re-up in Eli's Army.
Senators Ted Kennedy and Hillary Clinton both spoke, invoking the words of John and Robert Kennedy, and of Eli himself.
Former President Clinton and Senator Clinton had visited with Segal one afternoon a few weeks ago to say goodbye to a man who was their friend and who devoted himself to them and succeeded in leaving a major legacy for the Clinton administration in AmeriCorps and the Welfare to Work project.
Clinton showed her softest and most personal side as she remembered Eli, as if his warmth enabled her to let down her guard and speak from the heart.
The service was filled with personal memories of this committed liberal who was the antithesis of the caricature of liberals promulgated by the right. Segal was first and foremost a man dedicated to his family, especially to his wife of forty years and his children, who said over and over that he was never too busy to stop everything for them.
Eli was a Democratic stalwart who recognized the need for bipartisanship and corporate partnerships to bring about real social change. His main indulgence was not white wine and brie, but coffee ice cream and jelly beans, which he loved to sneak to his grandson.
And he was a patriot. The most tender moment in the service - a letter to Eli from his son, Jon – was followed by the congregation singing a true anthem of the early 60s: "Try to Remember." Eli's wife, Phyllis, then led the group in the AmeriCorps pledge:
I will get things done for America -
to make our people safer, smarter and healthier.
I will bring Americans together
to strengthen our communities.
Faced with apathy, I will take action.
Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground.
Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond.
I am an AmeriCorps member,
and I will get things done.
I told Matt Bennett that the devastation Eli's friends feel is a combination of their fading youth and his enduring spirit. Because of that spirit, those friends can't let go of their youthful idealism. They have to keep believing and trying. Because if they stopped, they might disappoint Eli. And how could anyone ever think of doing that?
By Dotty Lynch ©MMVI, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.
When this story was posted in March 2006, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| March 1, 1961: Keeping Kennedy's Promise On March 1, 1961, President John F. Kennedy issues Executive Order #10924, establishing the Peace Corps as a new agency: "Life in the Peace Corps will not be easy. There will be no salary and allowances will be at a level sufficient only to maintain health and meet basic needs. Men and women will be expected to work and live alongside the nationals of the country in which they are stationed--doing the same work, eating the same food, talking the same language. But if the life will not be easy, it will be rich and satisfying. For every young American who participates in the Peace Corps--who works in a foreign land--will know that he or she is sharing in the great common task of bringing to man that decent way of life which is the foundation of freedom and a condition of peace. " |
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| Paid Vacations in the Third World? Retired diplomat Peter Rice has written a letter to the Wall Street Journal stating that Peace Corps "is really just a U.S. government program for paid vacations in the Third World." Director Vasquez has responded that "the small stipend volunteers receive during their two years of service is more than returned in the understanding fostered in communities throughout the world and here at home." What do RPCVs think? |
| RPCV admits to abuse while in Peace Corps Timothy Ronald Obert has pleaded guilty to sexually abusing a minor in Costa Rica while serving there as a Peace Corps volunteer. "The Peace Corps has a zero tolerance policy for misconduct that violates the law or standards of conduct established by the Peace Corps," said Peace Corps Director Gaddi H. Vasquez. Could inadequate screening have been partly to blame? Mr. Obert's resume, which he had submitted to the Peace Corps in support of his application to become a Peace Corps Volunteer, showed that he had repeatedly sought and obtained positions working with underprivileged children. Read what RPCVs have to say about this case. |
| Why blurring the lines puts PCVs in danger When the National Call to Service legislation was amended to include Peace Corps in December of 2002, this country had not yet invaded Iraq and was not in prolonged military engagement in the Middle East, as it is now. Read the story of how one volunteer spent three years in captivity from 1976 to 1980 as the hostage of a insurrection group in Colombia in Joanne Marie Roll's op-ed on why this legislation may put soldier/PCVs in the same kind of danger. Latest: Read the ongoing dialog on the subject. |
| PC establishes awards for top Volunteers Gaddi H. Vasquez has established the Kennedy Service Awards to honor the hard work and service of two current Peace Corps Volunteers, two returned Peace Corps Volunteers, and two Peace Corps staff members. The award to currently serving volunteers will be based on a demonstration of impact, sustainability, creativity, and catalytic effect. Submit your nominations by December 9. |
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Story Source: CBS News
This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; Americorps; Obituaries
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