On Saturday February 19, 2011, at 7:00pm, long-time resident of Kutztown, PA.Arnold Newman will receive the St. Barnabas First Outstanding Citizenship Award. The event will be a combination tribute/roast and will feature music, food and several speakers. There will also be an open mike for those who want to tell Arnold stories, anecdotes, or to simply roast him. The event is open to the public and admission is free. The event will be held at St. Barnabas Episcopal Church, 234 East Main St., Kutztown, PA, 19530. Please come out and join us in our salute to Arnold.

What Makes An Outstanding Citizen?

An outstanding citizen is one who always keeps the well being of the community in mind when making decisions. An outstanding citizen believes in the concept of community; the idea that we are in this together and not functioning alone on isolated islands. Such a citizen thinks in terms of "we" not "me". An outstanding citizen will seek to bring understanding and tolerance to fractious groups in the community, seeking conciliation and a "meeting of the minds" as opposed to fanning the flames of discord. An outstanding citizen is part of the solution and not part of the problem.

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Kutztown's Ambassador of Good Will

A familiar figure to all who live and work in Kutztown, Arnold Newman can often be seen "walking" Main Street either heading towards or coming from Kutztown University, a place where he taught for 34 years. In appearance, he always reminded me of Mr. Micawber out of a Dickens novel: Slim, lanky and looking much taller than he actually is. With the addition of a beard, but minus the stovetop hat of the 1850's, Arnold completed the illusion by stooping slightly forward into his methodical gait while meeting his appointed rounds on Main Street.

As the former owner of The Used Bookstore on Main Street, I would often see Arnold go by with his backpack on, stopping to talk with friends and acquaintances. Sometimes he would stop in the store for a chat or to deliver some student newspapers to hand out to customers. We would talk about our families, our town, the world, politics or current events—you name it. Arnold would carry the news about the town and the university, but never the gossip. Characters like Arnold (and I use the word “character” in the positive sense—not to designate eccentricity) give a special flavor and meaning to small town life. He seems to know everyone and everyone seems to know him. You'd be hard-pressed to find someone who dislikes Arnold. I don't think that person exists. Arnold is always kind, considerate, and knows how to disagree with you without being disagreeable. Firm in his beliefs, but not a belligerent advocate of them.

Arnold met his lovely wife Barbara in 1955 at Albany State Teachers College (now SUNY at Albany He was a senior, she was a freshman. Although it was not "love at first sight', it grew into a deep and abiding love and they were married in 1959. They're still married some 51 plus years later. Together, they've raised 5 children.

In 1967 Arnold was hired by Kutztown University as a full Professor in English. As Arnold stated when I interviewed him recently: "I had never heard of Kutztown before. I had to look it up on the map. But Kutztown was looking to add doctorates to its faculty so the President made me an offer I couldn't refuse." Arnold taught at K.U. from September 1967 right through 2001.

Thirty-four years teaching at K.U added to his previous teaching experience for a total of forty-three & one-half years in the profession. That's a long time to be teaching, so I asked Arnold to give me his impressions on how students have changed over the years:

"I tend to think that there are more students coming in unprepared now—in English, anyhow. I didn't agree with most of my colleagues that they are less involved. Their involvement is different in character, but I believe about the same. Different habits, different types. Kutztown itself changed quite dramatically over that period. In 1967 it was a college of about 3,500 students. Students, faculty, and staff looked to me to be tremendously homogeneous—all white, largely from this region. By the time I left in 2001, it was much more diverse, both ethnically and racially."

Arnold taught both writing and literature while at K.U. He taught World and American Literature and general writing such as Freshman Composition and in later years Business Writing. Arnold always had a love for literature. He wrote his doctoral dissertation on the poet Hart Crane. He focused on 19th and early 20th century literature.

Since Arnold's career spanned the pre and post era of the home computer I asked him if he found it more difficult to focus students on the reading of a book in an era when there are so many distractions on the internet?

"I think so. The computer's changed everyone's world, especially the world of the young. I had a one-year sabbatical leave from 1993 to 1994. For 14 years before that I had been Chair of the English Department. I was preparing to return as a full-time classroom instructor for the remaining seven years of my career. When I came back in 1994 and started teaching more Freshman Composition, I insisted students use in their research paper at least one online source. By the time I left in 2001, I had to insist that they use at least one hard copy source. Now the university requires that the library buy the online version of a book if it is available. It's cheaper and uses up less space. Since I've retired, I've used the university library frequently for books and I've never had to wait to get a book from the library. No one's taking them out. If I had to use one of the computers I might have to wait to get time on it. I may be exaggerating since I've never tried it. So computers changed the world of books including the reading habits of students."

When asked to assess his career, Arnold is one of those rare and lucky individuals who can look back and say that he was "very satisfied" with his years teaching. He enjoyed the classroom teaching right up until the last day. He also enjoyed being a part-time administrator in his role as Department Chair. Arnold's style of teaching was low-keyed and facilitating. When students congratulated him on a lecture, he tried to avoid showing his surprise because he didn't view his method of teaching as lecturing. He rarely prepared formal lectures and usually employed a question and answer format.

Arnold was also involved in extra curricular activities at the college. He was an adviser to the yearbook for seven years as well as to the literary and fine arts magazine, Essence. In his early years he advised the first version of the Black Students organization. When he first arrived at K.U. there were no black students. The first group of 13 black students arrived in the Fall of 1968. They were all male and twelve of them were recruited athletes. They wanted an organization of their own and needed a facultymember to be an adviser and Arnold agreed. He served in this role for two years.

The Town and the Students

Most importantly, Arnold was a member of the Off-Campus Advisory Committee for many years. OCAC endeavored to improve town-student relationships. It appears that wherever you have a college town, it seems to follow as night does day that there will be strained relationships and often downright animosity between the residents of the town and the students. Kutztown is no different.

It was always apparent to me that Arnold always sought to foster understandingbetween the town's population and the student body. He acted as a conciliator and advocate. He didn't look at the problem through rose-colored glasses but saw plenty of room for blame on both sides. It's something Arnold has always felt very strongly about. He organized an annual Thanksgiving event that included the townspeople and the students on the Sunday before Thanksgiving that was celebrated for many years.

Students often feel unwelcome by the towns that host the universities, especially minority students. Arnold believes that the cutting point of the student-town conflict is housing. Conflicts arise over poor housing practices by townspeople and poor housing tenantry by students. Because he was able to see the complaints of both sides, he was able to be an effective voice for understanding and reconciliation.

Community of Kutztown

Arnold walked the mile to and fro between his house down Main Street to the college for 34 years. This probably had a lot to do with his becoming one of the town's most recognizable residents, or characters if you prefer. One of his tasks as a member of OCAC was to deliver the student newspaper to the various town outlets. This enabled Arnold to have ongoing conversations with the storeowners as well as being a source of news and views for them. Kutztown is the smallest town that Barbara and Arnold have ever lived in and by the very nature of small towns it is easy to know everyone if you are as visible a presence as Arnold was. In addition, Arnold has stood out probably because he grew a beard before it was common for teachers to have them.

At the time he retired, Arnold became involved with the Kutztown Historical Society. He had always been a member, but now he became very active. He’s done oral history for the Society and helped to organize its Library.

Unlike some, Arnold and Barbara voted with their feet by choosing to stay in Kutztown for their retirement. This prompted me to ask Arnold how he regarded the small-town life that is Kutztown?
“I thought it was a wonderful town to bring up our five children in our young lives. I’ve enjoyed the community. I’ve enjoyed the region. Even though I recognize some of the weaknesses of local culture, I have by and large enjoyed it. It’s nice to have the Mennonites living on the outskirts of town. It’s nice to go to the Farmer’s Market to buy weekly groceries. It’s also nice to buy things from the Mennonite farm stands. I really like the area. Geographically, I think it’s lovely. I can see the prongs of the Allentown and Reading areas moving in with suburban housing developments and commercial developments and everything else. I hope we can resist that. I hope we can retain some of the small town rural character that we have. I hope the old farmers can resist the money from developers.”

Arnold’s Spirituality

Arnold was born into a non-practicing Jewish family. His father converted to an offshoot of Islam called the Baha’i faith shortly after Arnold’s birth. It was started in 19th century Persia (which is now Iran). Brought up as a Baha’i, Arnold as an adult became drawn to the Christian faith. With Barbara’s coaxing they became Episcopalians. This was in 1961.

Arnold has been an engaged and active participant in each congregation to which he has belonged throughout the years. Arnold truly “walks the walk” in the way he lives his life daily.

Arnold’s World View and Outlook

Arnold doesn’t have the traditional “good old days” outlook about the past. He doesn’t look back fondly on the Great Depression which were his “growing-up” years. It was a terrible time. So the 30’s were no picnic. The 40’s with World War II were horrible. While he’s sees that the innocence of the 50’s is appealing to some, he’s not convinced that these were the good old days. s

Arnold believes that we are more aware today of the terrible threats to humanity than ever before. He cites our environmental degradation and our nuclear arsenals as cases in point. Our knowledge of these threats place much more pressure on the younger generations who have to deal with that world. So he sees the world as so radically different from the world of his childhood, that comparisons as to whether that world is better or worse seem impossible.

When asked which people had the most influence on his life and thinking, Arnold cites some college professors and then says this about his wife Barbara: “The person who has influenced me the most is my life is my wife, Barbara. I was fortunate to meet her. It was a blessing that I met Barbara as a young man. I think we’ve influenced each other. She’s been a very strong influence for the better. She made my life much happier than I thought it would be and much more successful than I thought it would be.”

Arnold hasn’t been influenced very much by public figures. His formative years were spent being brought up in the Baha’i tradition. This helped to shape Arnold’s worldview into an independent, but largely liberal one (which Arnold says has been made into a dirty word today) or by current standards—a progressive. Arnold’s life-long interest in literature made him an admirer of some of the greats. He cites Melville, Hawthorn, Twain and Emily Dickenson as some of the great 19th century authors that he has enjoyed. In the 20th century he cites Kate Chopin and Hemingway as writers that everyone should read. Arnold holds a special place in his heart for George Bernard Shaw. On his sabbatical in 1993 – 94 he spent part of his time in the world class library of The British Museum in London. He describes it as two happy months of research in the same library that Shaw had spent so much time in. He read all of Shaw’s plays and several biographies. Arnold admires how candid Shaw was in his criticism and how he never pulled his punches.

Arnold’s Identity

I think that during the course of this interview the answer that gives the most insight into who this man really is, is the way Arnold responded to the hypothetical King of the World question: If you were King of the World and could wave a magic wand and make any change, what would it be? “I think I’d try to change the whole attitude of bitterness and conflict in the world.” He goes on to cite Shaw’s “gospel of pacifism” and his writings about the utter stupidity of war in response to World War I. Because of this, Shaw’s plays were banned during World War I in England for several years. “So if I were King of the world and had my way, I would somehow like to see civility and peaceful solutions to our problems. People talking, rather than bombing. Conflicts settled by mediation. When one thinks of peaceful separations, such as the one occurring recently in the Sudan it gives hope. To everyone’s surprise it seems to have gone well. I hope that continues despite the few signs that it might be fraying.” Arnold wonders why some countries that have internal disputes between geographically located adversaries can’t just break apart peacefully. “Peaceful means as opposed to the horrible bloody wars of the 20th century which took millions of lives.”

Bahai’ism is influential on Arnold’s thinking even today. It is a religion that preaches peace. They have been called the Islamic Quakers. They were persecuted in Iran. They preached the equality of men and women, and universal education for all children. They not only preached their gospel of peace but they practiced it.

Arnold, a man of peace, also put into practice his other values when making life decisions. For instance, after having three children with Barbara, they decided to adopt the final two. Barbara and Arnold were influenced in 1966 by a book by Paul Erlich, an early founder of the idea of population stability. They agree that some of Erlich’s predictions about the harm of uncontrolled population growth are coming true. Since they had already gone beyond the principal of zero population growth by having their third child and they still wanted more children, they decided to adopt.

Arnold Newman—Outstanding Citizen

Because he is a man who lives by his values…
Because he understands the meaning of community…
Because he is a man dedicated to the peaceful resolution of conflicts…
Because he has always given selflessly of his time and talents to his neighbors, colleagues, and students…
Arnold Newman will be the first recipient of The St. Barnabas Outstanding Citizen Award.