In high school I was a yearbook staff photographer.¹ Or as it was referred to at Jonesboro High School, the “annual” staff. My family moved to Jonesboro when I was 16 in August of 1976. Yep, the bicentennial birthday of our incredible country.² I started my junior year within days of having landed at the Memphis airport. My brother and I flew from Milwaukee to Chicago O’Hare International Airport³, wait for it…ALONE. For those of within a decade or so of my age you will recall that kids routinely flew alone with little more than a hug from Mom at the gate and instructions like “just follow the signs.” Today, there are guides, badges and multiple security measures. Not so much for the Hayes boys. Incidentally, O’Hare was the busiest airport in the world at that time. So, Mother Hayes put me and Pete on a prop plane for the 45-minute flight from Milwaukee to Chicago and, in addition to the “follow the signs” advice, says: “Your Dad will pick you up at the front door of the Memphis airport. I can’t remember what kind of car his company car is but it’s blue and a station wagon.” With those precise instructions, Pete and I traipsed through the maze of O’Hare’s concourses and found our flight to Memphis. A 14-year-old and a 16-year-old wandering around one of the biggest cities and airports in the world. What could go wrong?!

My recollection is we flew on Eastern Airlines⁴ for the first leg of our journey. What I definitely remember was the temperature upon departure: 68 degrees. I also recall walking out to the plane and climbing an aluminum staircase to get on board. I’m pretty sure there was a jetway of some sort in O’Hare and we flew on a jet for the last leg of our trek. Again, I recall the temperature clearly when we walked out the “front door” in Memphis. 1,000 degrees, but at least it was humid. Ah, the good old days. As anticipated, the Local Controller—LC, for those uninitiated and new readers, is my lovely bride—has chimed in with her cheery voice. “Nobody wants to know about your flights to the Mid-South in 1976 nor what airline you may have flown. Eastern?! Really?! You may as well put on a tee shirt that says I’m old!” Best to move on.

Where was I…oh, yeah, photography in high school. New lenses so to speak. When you’re a new student in high school, with a charming Wisconsin⁵ accent,⁶ all you want to do is blend in. Let’s be clear. When I say blend in, I mean disappear. No real need to talk to anyone nor to bring attention to yourself. Save for an interaction at the front door of the school with the principal, my tactic lasted about 90 minutes, but I’ll save that story for a different day. By the time I reached my annual staff class just before lunch there was a rumor floating around that a super skinny new kid who talked funny was in the hallways. That was confirmed when the teacher asked me to introduce myself as the “new” photographer from out of state. She was even kind enough to ask me to stand so that everyone could put me in their crosshairs. From the wretched accent to the awkward and clumsy untangling from my desk, it was a sight and sound to behold. After some teasing and such, class proceeded. The good news is that the guy in the back of the class (the other photographer) who did an admirable and funny impression of my accent asked me to join him and his girlfriend for lunch. That man remains one of my best friends today. We were seldom apart during our junior and senior years, and we took thousands of photographs. I was seeing the world through new lenses for those 24 months. A perspective-setting experience for sure.

Just recently I had another perspective-setting experience. Talk about seeing through a new lens. Hang out with a 7-year-old for a few days and you’ll have several dear diary moments! We had family join us at the lake. Specifically, LC’s brother⁷ and his LC.⁸ The best part is they brought our nephew Ryder. LC has just chimed in: “Of course they brought him! He’s their child! What were they gonna do leave him in Pittsburgh⁹ with a big bowl of cereal?!” Score one for me! She’s grumbling whilst walking out of the room. Score two for me! Let me tell ya this kid is pretty special. He’s polite. He’s neat and tidy. He likes to dance and loves music. He LOVES dogs. He’s inquisitive and intelligent. I know, I’m biased being his uncle and all, but he’s a pretty cool kid. I don’t have any grandkids so spoiling him over the weekend was FUN!

What Ryder reminded me of is that life has some simple and purely joyful moments. Here are a few that struck me:

Run to the other end of the hallway cuz the dog is waiting for you!
Heck, run to whatever fun thing awaits even if it’s just to jump on the couch!
Play your music loud and sing along!
Get your cousin (our daughter and a Local Controller in training) to watch goofy movies with you!
And then get her to play monster trucks on the kitchen floor. Closest to the table wins!
Hug LC to the point that she almost melted!
Shed some tears upon departure because he loved our house, the lake, tubing, the dogs, digging for crystals and quartz and generally hanging out with the coolest aunt and uncle on the planet!

That boy does everything full throttle. He hits the ground running early in the morning and then squeezes as much into a day as possible. There is virtually no down time save for a couple of crashes and burns due to lack of food and need for rest. Heck, that’s how most of my days go so it didn’t bother me! He wanted to know everything about Lake Hamilton and Hot Springs. He got to visit downtown Spa City and taste various spring waters. He loves chicken nuggets and wants to share. We really had a great time. He reminded me to slow down, to ask questions, to listen and not judge, and to generally soak up what’s good in this world (that we likely take for granted). Lessons from a 7-year-old.

Right on time LC says get to the point! The point. Yes, let’s do that. The next time you are questioning your sanity for running for or being appointed to your municipal position, take a 7-year-old on a ride around the city to see the sights. Let me rephrase that. Don’t “take” a 7-year-old. That’s kidnapping and you’ll go to jail. Find the parents or guardians of a 7-year-old and ask them to join you on a city tour. Bonus: no criminal charges! Do a “here’s what your city does” tour. Give it some thought. Ask yourself, what does your city or town do that kids would like to know about? It’s a bigger list than you might initially realize. I’m sure most of you have heard the idiom:¹⁰ “out of the mouth of babes.” Be prepared for the blunt honesty of a 7-year-old. It can be revealing and funny. The questions they will ask are both simple and profound. How much does that cost? Suddenly you’re not only thinking about the actual cost but your budget as well. Why is that sign there? It’s clearly communicating something, but it’s likely part of a much larger system of signs. Take street signs for instance. It’ll tell you your home address, but it’s one of many such signs that are designed to make traffic flow efficiently. Here are a few ideas about a tour:

A fire station. Kids love to look at and climb all over the trucks and other equipment.
A police station. Let them turn on a siren and listen to a 911 dispatcher. Well, you might want to screen the 911 call first. Tender ears and all.
Water department. Explain that bathtime is a direct result of the work done in that building.
Splash pads¹¹ and parks. It’s summertime in Arkansas. Is there anything better to cool off with than a splash pad?! I know some of you don’t have one, but you likely have a park of some sort. Ask the kiddo what else they’d like to have in the park. Of course, you might get answers like rollercoasters and dinosaurs, but you’ll also get some pretty good feedback.

Looking through new lenses can be a little intimidating, but it’s sure worth it in the end. Remember this, city servants: You lead because you want a better community. Your work may not grab national headlines, but it does make the life of a 7-year-old better every single minute of every single day. Take the kid¹² tour challenge. I bet everyone learns something by seeing through a new lens.

Until next time, peace.

Mark Hayes
Executive Director, Arkansas Municipal League

1
At the time my dad had an Olympus 35mm SLR OM-1 and allowed me to tote it to school to assist with my career clicking goals. Within a week, the camera was stolen from the annual staff classroom. With an assist from the insurance company the old man was able to upgrade to an OM-2 and a couple of new lenses. He never said thank you but secretly I think he was kinda pleased. On cue, LC chimes in: “Nobody is happy when their property is stolen. A thank you?! Seriously?! Move on big boy!” Score double points for LC on that one.
2
The bicentennial quarter was a big deal in 1976. All of us cool kids wanted to get our hands on as many of them as we could. For what purpose you ask…I dunno. It was just a cool thing. For the most part those coins are worth about 25 cents today. However, there are some worth quite a bit more. Those with a particular mint mark, a rare error or some other unique characteristic may fetch a handsome sum. armuni.org/4lIpdfB
3
O’Hare was the world’s busiest airport from 1968 to 1998. armuni.org/40K4sYT
4
I feel certain there are some of you good readers who have no idea there was ever an Eastern Airlines. Eastern began in 1926 and ceased operations in 1991. Technically it was resurrected in 2014 and again in 2018 and 2022. Currently there are 18 aircraft in the fleet, although for the most part they haul cargo not people. armuni.org/4kvvgmU
5
Wisconsin is the 20th largest state by population and the 23rd by area. It has 72 counties and shares quite a few of the same traits as Arkansas. Fishing, hunting and water activities are in abundance in Wisconsin. It also has a substantial agricultural economy. Although known as America’s Dairyland for its milk and cheese production, there are many other crops grown, including but not limited to potatoes, green peas (LC does NOT like them), snap beans and cranberries. armuni.org/45VpZkS
6
Think nasal and somewhat caustic.
7
My brother-in-law is a funny, funny guy! We laugh a lot when he’s around. He’s always been a performer of sorts. He made a good living in LA. Not Lower Arkansas. The other one. The California one. He was an actor for many years. He’s now a sales manager for an international company. As he’s pointed out, the word “no” from a potential customer doesn’t really register with him. He says that after thousands of auditions ended with “no” he became immune to it. So, he goes back the potential customer repeatedly until he wins them over.
8
My sister-in-law is terrific. Funny in her own right, particularly when she’s doing accents from other countries. She’ll say it’s French but it’ll be Russian. She gets it right eventually but it’s funny watching her get there! She’s an incredible mom, cook, entrepreneur and a creative whiz. She’s compassionate but can be tough as nails when the need arises. Like my LC, don’t get between them and their cubs!
9
Pittsburgh is known as the “Steel City.” That comes from its rich history in the steel industry. U.S. Steel was formed there in 1901, and the rest is history as they say. armuni.org/4eDX5rE
10
I love idioms. Using a set of words that in and of themselves do not mean what they have collectively come to mean is a wonderful thing. Some of my favorites: break a leg, hit the sack, don’t crawfish me, the ball is in your court, under the weather, it’s the next best thing since sliced bread and go down in flames. When you look at the history of each of those it’s fascinating how they came to be. LC is back. “Don’t. Don’t go through the history of those. I’m begging you on behalf of your handful of readers to stop this madness before it starts.” Few readers?! Madness?! Okay, not sure about the overall score but that took it over the top. Once again, LC for the win!
11
Splash pads emerged in the late 20th century. They’ve come a long way! Today there are multiple safety measures that must be in place along with newer and bigger features. Regardless, they are just plain FUN!
12
Again, no kidnapping. That’s bad.