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BAREFOOT BAY CLUB LEARNS TEAMWORK = SUCCESS BAREFOOT BAY - Teamwork! The St. Louis Cardinals used it to winning effect in their march to the 2006 World Series championship-Albert Pujols, Jeff Suppan and Series MVP David Eckstein and a couple of dozen or so others, all in uniform, headed in the same direction. The Humanist Club at Barefoot Bay is just a little like that. Original members George Oertel, Ruth Mistron, Walt Hammers, June Getchell, Bob Allen, Jim Dempsey and a dozen or so others, all casually dressed, heading in the same moral direction. Manager Tony LaRussa, 64, is credited with providing much of the impetus for the Cards' success in '06. In a similar vein, Oertel, 89, must be given the lion's share of recognition for the Humanist Club's accomplishments since it began about three years ago. But he did not do it without lots of help. He did it with major league level teamwork. Says Oertel, "Without the dedication of our core membership, the Humanist Club would have died on the vine. Our job now is to add to this team and develop a humanist community that will include all the free thinkers in this area. The more we make ourselves known and work together, the greater impact we can have on the community at large in developing ethical values based on reason and compassion." Games to win? No. Hearts and minds to open? Yes. Oertel's vision: "I hope we can develop a community of people with common interests in freedom of conscience, not constrained by the certainties and dictatorship of governments or religions." Remember, at the core it's a matter of working as one. Team members standing on the top step of the dugout include: . "Hammering" Walt Hammers, who set up and runs the Web site www.amarquetarian.com/hcbb.htm. . Utility player "Step lively" Ruth Mistron, who has been pinch-hitting for Getchell, has taken on the roles of treasurer and membership coordinator. . "Bullet" Bob Allen takes the mound as staff ace and head of the club's speakers' bureau. Between innings he arranges for narrators at regularly scheduled meetings and sets up equipment. Allen stands ever ready to step into the breech and share his vast knowledge and insights on various topics, including humane treatment of animals as he did at the October meeting. . "Daring" Jim Dempsey, a font of information on things Humanist, acting akin to a third-base coach, is the audio-video librarian. When he's not waving fellow members home, he reviews audio visual suggestions, making recommendations and presentations when needed. . Getchell, an original member who had been taking on the duties of associate coordinator, is in "limbo"while she is busy trying to sell her house and move. Though not big-city bustling, the Barefoot Bay-based club is not so far removed from polite society for the Humanist's hierarchy as to be out of touch. Example, Mel Lipman, president of the American Humanist Association, (AHA) the oldest and largest Humanist organization in the nation, dropped in to Oertel's house to spend three hours with members of the club in mid-October. What's the association all about? "The AHA is dedicated to ensuring a voice for those with a positive outlook, based on reason and experience, which embraces all of humanity," says Oertel. "Humanism is a progressive philosophy of life that, without supernaturalism, affirms our ability and responsibility to lead ethical lives of personal fulfillment that aspire to the greater good of humanity." Ever the bridge-builder, Lipman suggests all Humanists join in a national identity program to "demonstrate that our ethical values are consistent with the mainstream values of most of Americans." Perhaps the main differences beyond the various obvious disparities in age (many Humanists locally are at the retirement stage) and muscularity are that the aforementioned baseball team engages in physical activity as well as mental acumen, while the Humanist Club, alas, can do only so much on the physical front. After all, their "game" is to share a common, open-minded opinion of the human condition and win respect and recognition, not ball games. But they hope to make up for their limitations in catching fly balls and hitting home runs by applying extra effort in the gray matter arena. Unlike the baseball team, the Humanists cannot measure their success quantitatively. Instead, they must be satisfied in sharing knowledge and aspirations with those of a similar bent. Household names? No, but then again, that's not what teamwork is all about. One caution: Just don't ask the Humanists to slide.
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