Larry McGee
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Carl Gump spent his life helping others, making him a Saint to the community
Fibber's Closet
By Larry McGee
A true Saint recently passed away.
In my lifetime I haven’t met many people I considered a Saint. My definition of a Saint is someone who cares more for others than they care for themselves. I have met a few mothers who have come pretty close to that definition, but they cared more for their families and their welfare than those who weren’t a part of their family.
Carl Gump genuinely cared for people. His purpose in life was to do good and assist others in doing the same. God was first in his life, and everyone else was second.
People knew Carl as a teacher, principal, superintendent, soldier and banker. In each of those jobs, his purpose was to assist others.
I first met him as a superintendent. He is responsible for bringing me to Paola. For that I am eternally grateful. It is truly my belief that God had a hand in bringing the two of us together. Having spent my lifetime in education and the majority of it in leadership and administration, my experience with administrative leaders is extensive. I have never met another who was more suited for the job and who exemplified everything that an administrative leader should be.
Carl had the ability to inspire others with his leadership. He never took no for an answer. He would always ask, “Why not?” and more often than not he would say, “Let’s do it together.”
He would lead by example. In my first year in Paola, the school district was in the finishing stages of planning a new high school. Plans had been drawn, and a bond issue had been successfully passed. A more comprehensive building plan couldn’t have been designed. It included all of the latest and most recent innovations that were popular and available in 1969.
The new school would include an indoor swimming pool designed to be used by the public year-round. It included a room to house a computer, which in those days required a room for itself since portable computers had yet to be invented. The computer was to be rented to the banks and businesses in the community during evening hours.
Unfortunately, the bids let for construction all exceeded the bonds that were approved by the voters. The grand design would have to be redone. So Carl led the charge to downsize but retain as many of the latest innovations that we could afford.
When our new building was completed, it was a marvel in terms of technology. Electronic language labs and closed circuit television were just two of the model systems that few schools had. He could always predict the future.
Paola has had many outstanding community leaders. None were better at the grass roots level than Carl. Many were great at starting initiatives while others did the work. Carl was a worker. If someone needed something done, Carl was the one for the job. He was a great recruiter as well. No one could say no to him because he wasn’t asking you to do anything that he wouldn’t be doing right beside you.
The church was important to Carl. He was a member of the Paola United Methodist Church. Church work was as important to Carl as his day job. He approached it with the same enthusiasm he had for every other job. It was so important to him that he left a paid-up life insurance policy to his church.
There are so many attributes that one could list in describing Carl Gump. The best is the old adage that says, “The greatest love a man can have is to lay down his life for another.”
Well, that describes Carl Gump. He spent his entire life giving to others. The word “service” exemplifies his life completely. It made no difference who you were or what you were; if you needed assistance, Carl was there. Even though he is gone now, he will always be there in the hearts and minds of those who came in contact with him. God Bless Carl Gump!
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In my lifetime I haven’t met many people I considered a Saint. My definition of a Saint is someone who cares more for others than they care for themselves. I have met a few mothers who have come pretty close to that definition, but they cared more for their families and their welfare than those who weren’t a part of their family.
Carl Gump genuinely cared for people. His purpose in life was to do good and assist others in doing the same. God was first in his life, and everyone else was second.
People knew Carl as a teacher, principal, superintendent, soldier and banker. In each of those jobs, his purpose was to assist others.
I first met him as a superintendent. He is responsible for bringing me to Paola. For that I am eternally grateful. It is truly my belief that God had a hand in bringing the two of us together. Having spent my lifetime in education and the majority of it in leadership and administration, my experience with administrative leaders is extensive. I have never met another who was more suited for the job and who exemplified everything that an administrative leader should be.
Carl had the ability to inspire others with his leadership. He never took no for an answer. He would always ask, “Why not?” and more often than not he would say, “Let’s do it together.”
He would lead by example. In my first year in Paola, the school district was in the finishing stages of planning a new high school. Plans had been drawn, and a bond issue had been successfully passed. A more comprehensive building plan couldn’t have been designed. It included all of the latest and most recent innovations that were popular and available in 1969.
The new school would include an indoor swimming pool designed to be used by the public year-round. It included a room to house a computer, which in those days required a room for itself since portable computers had yet to be invented. The computer was to be rented to the banks and businesses in the community during evening hours.
Unfortunately, the bids let for construction all exceeded the bonds that were approved by the voters. The grand design would have to be redone. So Carl led the charge to downsize but retain as many of the latest innovations that we could afford.
When our new building was completed, it was a marvel in terms of technology. Electronic language labs and closed circuit television were just two of the model systems that few schools had. He could always predict the future.
Paola has had many outstanding community leaders. None were better at the grass roots level than Carl. Many were great at starting initiatives while others did the work. Carl was a worker. If someone needed something done, Carl was the one for the job. He was a great recruiter as well. No one could say no to him because he wasn’t asking you to do anything that he wouldn’t be doing right beside you.
The church was important to Carl. He was a member of the Paola United Methodist Church. Church work was as important to Carl as his day job. He approached it with the same enthusiasm he had for every other job. It was so important to him that he left a paid-up life insurance policy to his church.
There are so many attributes that one could list in describing Carl Gump. The best is the old adage that says, “The greatest love a man can have is to lay down his life for another.”
Well, that describes Carl Gump. He spent his entire life giving to others. The word “service” exemplifies his life completely. It made no difference who you were or what you were; if you needed assistance, Carl was there. Even though he is gone now, he will always be there in the hearts and minds of those who came in contact with him. God Bless Carl Gump!