Building Stronger Community

At my annual campus fall address, I shared lessons learned from my time spent with legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden, who passed away this summer at the age of 99. My speech was developed through the framework of Coach Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success.” His definition of success was “achieving peace of mind which is a direct result of self-satisfaction in knowing you did your best to become the best that you are capable of becoming.” Coach Wooden also was fond of axioms as tools for learning. Two of his favorites were; “Failing to prepare is preparing to fail;” and “Be quick, but don’t hurry.” Both of these axioms reinforced his belief that for success, good things take time and require the development of strong fundamentals.
In the Gunnison Valley, the foundation and momentum for building stronger community have been palpable in recent weeks. Here are a few examples of that momentum as we all continue to work toward building a strong and unified community.
Recently board members of the Community Foundation of the Gunnison Valley (CFGV) met for a day-and-a-half retreat to discuss goals and vision for the foundation. The groups was comprised of citizens from throughout the Valley, including seasonal as well as full-time residents. It was striking to hear the common theme of “one community” throughout the retreat. The entire board talked about creating a sense of community “seamlessness” irrespective of the location or duration of one’s residence in the Valley. While some might think that a day-and-a-half of discussions and strategic exercises can be a mind-numbing experience, at the CFGV retreat, however, board members came away energized and excited about our community and the vast potential that lies ahead.
On September 3, Crested Butte News editor Mark Reaman wrote an exceptional editorial piece titled “Painting a few strokes for the Big Picture.” Mark shared his view of two different meetings he attended—one in Gunnison and one in Crested Butte. He noted that despite the different venues and topics of the meetings, both focused on positive elements of our Valley’s future. Kudos to Mark for connecting the dots and pointing out the positive elements in our Valley that help to unite us as a community.
On another front, Mt. Crested Butte Mayor William Buck traveled to Gunnison to attend meetings with Sen. Mark Udall. One of those meetings was held on the plot of land donated by Dick Bratton to the Division of Wildlife (DOW) as part of the Gunnison Rising annexation. Members of the BLM and the U.S. Forest Service joined DOW staff, Sen. Udall, Mayor Buck, Western State administrators, Gunnison City officials and Dick Bratton to discuss the vision of a land management campus. The vision for a DOW Nature Discovery Center was presented to Sen. Udall as well.
Mayor Buck and I spoke briefly after the meeting and shared our mutual enthusiasm for the growing momentum of cooperation and synergy throughout the Valley. Mayor Buck’s presence at the meeting was highly symbolic of the growing synergy and excitement for the possibilities that lie ahead. And imagine this: if a state agency (DOW) and federal agencies (BLM and U.S. Forest Service) manage a cooperative arrangement for a common campus, it is possible that there are no limits to what we can accomplish through community cooperation in this Valley.
These actions taken by many Valley entities demonstrate cooperation, industriousness and initiative—all components at the base of Coach Wooden’s “Pyramid of Success.” Like the axiom, “Be quick, but don’t hurry,” we must continue to capitalize on the synergy and thoughtfully build a strong foundation. These relationships will strengthen all of us over time.
Let’s nurture those qualities that will make us mutually supportive and successful.