“The next generation of….”… entrepreneurs, scientists, engineers… teachers? Schools have a long history of seeking to fill future jobs, and education often begins to sound like a job training program. But do we really know what the kids are going to be doing for a living years from now? Raise your hand if you’re not doing anything close to what you thought you’d be doing when you were in high school. Or if you’re doing something that didn’t even exist back then.
Although extremely bright, George Catlin Marshall rated as a mediocre student almost all the way through his college years, but he embodied a keen sense of integrity, loyalty, commitment, and honesty. He didn’t seek the limelight, he never claimed credit for accomplishments which obviously belonged to many.
When George was a young boy in Uniontown, the world was changing… power and telephones were connecting everyone in ways the world had not experienced before. With his agile mind, knack for logistics, and keen analytical skills, George would have likely been an excellent engineer, or entrepreneur. But amongst the technology boom, the world was also about to go through the two bloodiest wars our planet had ever seen. So George put his talents to use to become one of the 20th Century’s most admired soldier-statesmen.
Should we say “the next generation of soldier statesmen”? Maybe. Maybe not. We will definitely need the next generation of men of integrity, loyalty, honestly and commitment, though. We could say that.
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The students at IndED had a tour and learned about the leadership principles of George C Marshall, at the historic home and education center in beautiful Downtown Leesburg, VA. To find out more about George C Marshall, check out http://georgecmarshall.org.
