FROM THE PRESIDENT

Deb Gerow | President, ARTA

They were equally skilled at riding a horse, swinging a lasso, shooting a pistol, and singing a tender ballad. No wonder I wanted to be a cowboy.

Later, my heroes evolved. I admired Florence Nightingale, who left her life of privilege in England for the Crimean battlefields, where she cared for wounded soldiers in terrible surroundings. She revolutionized nursing practice and changed how nurses were regarded.

I also admired Albert Schweitzer, a doctor and promising concert musician who gave up music to open a hospital in the African rainforest at Lambaréné. Although he was a man of his time, with the paternalistic idea that he needed to civilize the African population as well as heal them, his guiding principle was“ reverence for life.” He healed hundreds at his hospital and was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for his humanitarian work.

As a teenager, I was aware of the civil rights movement playing out in the United States at that time. Who can forget the news footage showing the violence when formerly all-white schools were integrated? I remember my excitement when Martin Luther King Jr. received the Nobel Peace Prize for his leadership in the non-violent struggle against racism. I also remember, four years later, my devastation when he was killed.

Terry Fox became another of my heroes when he set out to run across Canada, having already lost a leg to cancer. His determination to raise money and awareness for cancer research was inspiring. It was heartbreaking when he had to stop his run, but the work he began continues in his name today.

A more recent hero of mine was the late politician Jack Layton. His final message to Canadians stated,“ Love is better than anger. Hope is better than fear. Optimism is better than despair. So let us be loving, hopeful, and optimistic. And we’ ll change the world.” You may not have liked his politics, but it is hard to disagree with those statements. For me, these are words to live by— I have them written on a poster inside my front door so I see them every time I go out.

My heroes have common themes. To me, a hero is someone who acts to meet a need, despite consequences to self. Often, others could do the same, but most do not.

I believe that many members of ARTA are heroes in their own ways. They take the time to look around, note where there is a need, and work to meet that need, both within ARTA and in the greater community. Thank you for engaging in that good work. You make a real difference to all of us.

AUTUMN 2025 | 5