GRG Profiles: David A. Lieberman.

Abstract

I was born in St. Louis, Missouri, and retain two important qualities of that heritage: a very flat ‘‘A’’ when I speak and an enduring love for the St. Louis Cardinals. Growing up in the Eisenhower postwar, 1950s, I experienced a world far different from that of my parents, who had known depression and World War. I knew about Russians, the Cold War, and the existential threat of the atomic bomb. My parents became community activists in our suburb of University City, just west of St. Louis, and provided important role models for my siblings and me. My father served on the City Council and my mother on the School Board, each for more than 25 years. These were elected, but unpaid, positions. Although my neither of my parents was unlikely to be leader, their message was clear: It is not sufficient to sit in the audience of life; it is important to get up on stage and try to make a difference—to try to make your community a better place. Lesson 2: Mentorship