Photo by Evan Kafka
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E Street
Inspiring Minds
By Steven Slon, March & April 2008
From the editor's desk...
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Our last issue was dedicated to the heroic folks whose lives inspired us last year. I wish you could have all been with us in New York City at our gala awards ceremony to feel the passion in the air and to meet the honorees—as always a mix of people in the public eye and those lesser known but equally deserving. As I said that day, it’s downright painful to try to select only ten. For every person honored, there are thousands more who are very quietly going about the business of making the world a better place—whether helping to clean up a troubled neighborhood, volunteering in a school, or caring for an elder family member.
So this is where you come in. I hope you’ll be reminded of all the unsung heroes surrounding you who deserve to be recognized. And maybe take a few minutes to let these folks know you noticed.
They’ll probably be a little shy about it. Maybe a little embarrassed. But chances are, they’ll be proud.…
From what I’ve learned about him, I suspect that Ian Ledgerwood (pictured at right with his wife, Stella) would be a tad embarrassed by all the nice things being said about him in our offices these days. Ian, who passed away just before this issue wrapped, was the editor of this magazine (then called Modern Maturity) from 1982 to 1990. According to those who knew him, Ian was “quite a character”—a former Fleet Street reporter with a thick Scottish brogue who kept a bottle of whiskey in his office and had a penchant for off-color limericks. A World War II veteran, he would regale staffers with his role in the famous Anzio landing.
The Ian anecdote that impressed me most comes from Glenn Hamaguchi. Today Glenn is a successful photographer, but when he started at the magazine he was an entry-level art-department staffer. On Glenn’s first day on the job, Ian walked in and introduced himself. “Let’s go to lunch,” Ian said.
“He treated us like we were on his level,” Glenn recalls. “He never looked down on anyone because of their position.”
Now that’s a man who’ll be remembered.
Steven Slon
Editor, AARP The Magazine
editor@aarp.org
601 E Street NW
Washington, DC 20049
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