Dear Readers,

In November 1997, the National Red Cross recognized Ed Robertson with the Clara Barton Honor Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership for his years of service. For six decades, Ed served our country in many different roles for the Red Cross. He is 86 years old. His work continues; he is often called at least once or twice a year. He used to go wherever the Red Cross needed him. Now, because of health issues, he works closer to home.  Join me as I introduce you to someone who has served in some of our nation’s worst disasters. He tells behind-the-scene stories of a life dedicated to helping others. I hope you enjoy his story and I look forward to your thoughts.

Many consider the United States Civil War one of our deadliest battles. Clara Barton, a former teacher and then a clerk in Washington, D.C. saw the great need of soldiers. They were not getting medical treatment, supplies, and other necessities. At harrowing risk to herself, she devoted much of her time providing nursing care and getting goods and services to our soldiers. Reader, to what do you devote your time?

 Clara’s work started in our nation’s capital. There, in 1862, she helped care for soldiers who were wounded and in need at our capital’s doorsteps. Then, she received permission to travel directly to where the men were fighting and dying. Taking medical supplies and other much-needed goods, Clara started in Virginia, then traveled to many of our states’ battlefields to help the soldiers throughout the Civil War. Reader, are you a veteran or are you close to someone who is?

In 1869, she visited Europe. There, she was introduced to the International Red Cross. This agency had started as part of the Geneva Convention which outlined rules of conduct worldwide for those wounded on battlefields. After serving in the International Red Cross, Clara returned to the United States. She began lobbying President Chester Arthur to agree to our country’s role in protecting the sick and wounded during wartime. Finally approved in 1881, at age 59, Clara Barton formed the American Red Cross and served at its leader for another 23 years. Now 141 years later, Ed Robertson, walking in the shoes of those before him, has served more than 65 years with our country’s Red Cross. Reader, what is a period of history that matters to you?

Ed was born in Millburn, New Jersey. In his younger years he lived throughout the Jersey area and graduated from North Plainfield High School. He credits one of his teachers with giving him a lifelong skill.

 

He had written an essay for her class. It was returned to him with lots of red marks signaling the errors he made and the revisions his work would need. Ed applied the teacher’s lessons and his writing greatly improved. Within four months of taking her class, while still a teenager, Ed volunteered as a reporter for the Plainfield Courier News; he covered the high school news. “She taught me so much about writing,” Ed said. “That teacher was a blessing.” Reader, what was a valued lesson that you learned in school?

Then Ed attended Tufts University in Massachusetts with an interest in government, history, and international relations. During his college years, he started to work at a Methodist church that was close to the campus. It was 1954, and he became licensed as a local preacher. Then he became assistant to the minister for the Methodist Church in Medford, Massachusetts – a position he held for three years.

One day, Ed was parking his car when he saw a house on fire. He walked over to where others were standing. There, he saw members of the Red Cross ready to help. Later, Ed spoke to members of the nonprofit and asked a lot of questions. Appreciating their work, he decided to become a Red Cross volunteer. “I liked that this work was helping meet needs immediately,” Ed said. He was talking about the Red Cross response to provide food, clothing and housing when a family had lost so much. Reader, what triggered your desire to help those in your community?

 

Now we are in 2022, and Ed has spent most of his career in the role of volunteer or paid employee for the Red Cross. I could show you his resume documenting his body of work. Goodness, it is long! He held many different positions depending on the various disasters throughout our nation.

As he and I talked about his work, I remembered so much of the devastation that he described. While I was home watching the damaging scenes on my daily news shows, Ed was there, responding to the crisis.  Across our nation, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, fires and other 9-1-1 calls were all part of Ed’s workload. I ask Ed how the human psyche handles the emotional drain when you hear and see so much heartbreak and destruction? Ed said he garnered his strength in this: “One, we were helping people to overcome the devastation,” he said. “And two, we did it together as a Red Cross team.” Reader, what keeps you mentally and emotionally healthy?

 

Ed told me about a story that took place in 1984. A string of fourteen tornadoes came through the south. One after another, these tornadoes blew through in a twenty-four period. For this disaster, Ed was sent to South Carolina as one of the state’s district directors. 

Many describe the roar of a tornado as that of a freight train. In South Carolina, there actually was a local freight train that traveled through those towns. When the children heard the sound of the train, it frightened them because they thought it was another tornado. This was emotionally difficult for everyone. Reader, what is something that is emotionally difficult for you?

Ed said it was in the days before the Red Cross had mental health specialists. Ed recognized that he had to respond, not only to the severe devastation, but he also had to find local mental health resources to help with the children’s fears. Reader, are you someone that can think outside the box to problem-solve?

During that tornado emergency, Ed was supervising about 30 volunteers and a handful of paid Red Cross workers. He stayed there six weeks. The agency provided food, clothing, rental assistance, basic furniture and appliances. In addition, they provided school books, and for those who were self-employed, the Red Cross provided tools so that people could get back to work.

Folk would get these items by receiving a Red Cross disbursing order. This allowed the person whose home was devastated to go to a local store and get what they needed. The owner of the store would then complete the two-page form, send it to Washington, D.C., and eventually get compensated for providing the items to the family. It was an arduous process, but the needs were met. Reader, what support system do you have in place for your emergencies?

Ed tells about another natural disaster story that took place in March 1993. A huge storm moved up from the Gulf of Mexico and traveled all the way up the east coast. Depending on where you lived, the storm brought heavy rains, flooding, or snow.

Tampa was hit with huge waves and high water that caused devastating flooding. One night on Hernando Beach, which is north of Tampa, a family experienced a heartbreaking moment.

They were in their home with flood water all around them. A group of people had been in a boat when the storm hit the region. The family in the home heard a knock at the door. When they answered, there floating in the water, was the boat with people on board. They wanted to come in where they could be safe until help arrived. One of their friends had died during the storm and he was onboard. Everyone helped bring the body indoors and they wrapped him in a large area rug that had been in the family’s home.

The next day, when the waters had receded, The emergency responders arrived. They helped get everyone to safety and remove the body.

Later, Red Cross worked with the family who had hosted the stranded people that night. Red Cross provided a disbursing order so that the family could replace the rug. It wasn’t a matter of the family wanting something new. It was a matter of mental health, Ed said. It was difficult for the family because the rug represented the dead body that had been wrapped in the rug; that had been emotionally difficult for the homeowners. Readers, have you ever helped someone, and that left a lasting impact on your life?

Ed continues his story with an emergency that took place in 1995. It happened in New Orleans. Another round of storms came through the Gulf Coast. The rains were devasting to the residents. Over the course of one day, nineteen inches of rain fell. New Orleans is already a city below sea level. The city’s water pumps couldn’t handle that much rain; it was an overload of water. Much of the city flooded. Again, the Red Cross was called into service.

Ed was assigned the role of Service Center Support Manager for six weeks. To help assess damage and determine people’s needs, more than 1000 extra volunteers were brought in from around the nation. There were thousands of homes that had been flooded and the volunteers had to go door-to-door to talk to every homeowner. It was a huge undertaking. Once again, families were given Red Cross disbursing forms so they could get the items necessary to meet their immediate needs. Reader, can you imagine one thousand volunteers working together? What do you think would be an important skill to have in that situation?

 

Then, the world changed. On September, 11, 2001, the World Trade Center towers and the Pentagon were air-bombed. Almost 3000 people died, more than 6000 were injured, and many became homeless or living in shelters. After 9/11, Ed and his teams had to address needs differently. These terrorist attacks changed thousands of lives and our country. Service organizations had to shift their procedures to address the enormity of needs.  Reader, what changes occurred in your life when we all experienced this tragedy?

Red Cross workers were immediately dispatched to help with this crisis. Ed was sent to New York City for five weeks. He was assigned to be the night director of the Red Cross during this national crisis. He also served three weeks managing the Red Cross component of the family assistance center.

“There was a need for urgency,” Ed said. The disaster was precedent to the new way the Red Cross began to help people. Storeowners didn’t have time to fill out two-page disbursing forms to get supplies to families.  The need was too great and the red tape wasted time for families and merchants. In a wise and necessary move, the Red Cross eliminated the disbursing form process and started issuing checks to those in need.  ‘It was a faster way to get help,” Ed said.

 

In each national disaster, Ed provided dedication and service to those in need. He has been recognized numerous times throughout his career. For example, in 2014, he was given an award for Outstanding Service to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania presented by the Emergency Management Agency, which is a department of the state’s government. He also received an honor certificate from FEMA for his work during the hurricane Sandy recovery. And, as I included at the beginning of the blog, Ed also received the national American Red Cross Clara Barton Award for Meritorious Volunteer Leadership in 1997. Reader, were you ever recognized for your work?

 

At times in Ed’s career, he has worked other jobs that allowed him the flexibility to continue his dedication to the Red Cross. For example, from 1981 to 1991, he sold insurance.

Another interesting fact about Ed was a hobby he had for years. Starting in 1948, when he was in middle school, Ed started collecting postage stamps. It was a hobby he turned into a full-time business from 1960 to 1983. Of course, I had to ask – “What stamp brought in the most money?” Ed told me he auctioned on behalf of an owner a first-issue early Japanese stamp. The characters sketched in the middle of the stamp were printed upside-down. His rare stamp sold in Tokyo at auction for $75,000. At that time, Ed said, it was the eighth-highest price ever paid for a stamp. Reader, do you have an interesting hobby? Have you ever had an opportunity to turn your hobby into something that made money?

 

Currently, Ed is now the Diocesan Disaster Coordinator for Episcopal Diocese of Central Pennsylvania. It is a position he has held for the past seven years. In this role, Ed said, “I help the clergy and lay people of the diocese to prepare for and respond to natural and manmade disasters.” I think this aptly tells you more about Ed, especially when you line it up with his favorite quote, “Managers do things right. Leaders do the right thing.” Reader, what is a quote that motivates you?

As well, Ed just completed four years as president of the PA branch of National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster. He is currently one of its board members and their Lead Agency Representative to PEMA – the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.

In some capacity, be it volunteer or paid position, Ed has served in the Red Cross for 66 years. He has been there through many of our nation’s emergencies. It was an honor for me to interview him and to tell you about his work. Thank you, Ed. Readers, I hope you liked Ed’s story as much as I did. Send me your comments. I always enjoy hearing from you.

Last month, you were introduced to Scott Spampinato (aka Stan Pinato, the name he uses as an author). Readers enjoyed his story and I was so appreciative of the turn out on July 14^th when Scott joined us in person here in Colorado. Sally, Marsha, Lori, Jane, Anne and Rhonda let us know they really enjoyed the blog!!! Here were some other comments from readers:

• Madelyn said, “Debbie – I so appreciate the many hours of work you put into these interesting blogs. Just letting you know your efforts are appreciated.” 
• Faith said, “I love reading your blogs. Thank you.”
• Susan said, “Hope to meet him in person. Great blog.”

Until next month, may peace be at your side,

Debbie Noel

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Debbie Noel
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Ed said that if you know someone who needs help, or you are interested in becoming a volunteer, the best place to start is to visit the www.redcross.org website. As well, you can donate or talk to someone directly by starting with that website.

If you use Facebook, Ed said that you can also find and follow the national organization and many of the local units.  Ed can be found when you visit the American Red Cross Greater Pennsylvania Facebook page.