EDRAite of the Month - Michael Murtha

Michael Murtha September 2018

Michael MurthaI have always appreciated and enjoyed being part of a community. I grew up in Arlington, Virginia. My parents helped to organize the other Federal employees to take control of the local government. We had a lot of potluck suppers. My high school was another community. Like a good modern child, I participated in just about everything in my school. I became a part of three college and university campus communities as I got my various degrees. Back in Arlington, I worked for 30 years as a Democratic precinct captain, and volunteered for a variety of community efforts as a planning commissioner and a member of the environmental commission as well as several futures task forces.

Being part of a community has a number of advantages. One obvious benefit is that the people who are members of a community have a number of shared interests which can promote social contacts and relationships that can be very supportive and persist over time. Most communities have implicit or explicit goals that the members work to achieve. Where this effort is successful, members have a sense of accomplishment, which can help strengthen their social relationships and feelings of well-being.

Being a member of the EDRA community has been a great source of satisfaction for nearly 50 years. Along the way, I have known many delightful people and participated in a variety of fascinating activities. Of course, I have also acquired great quantities of knowledge which I happily employed in my various activities. As we contemplate the next 50 years, I am confident that our community will endure and I anticipate a national resurgence of interest in more effectively meeting the needs of people at all ages and conditions that will help to strengthen our community and build upon all we have accomplished.