Howard
| By Rick David - Feb 26, 2009 3:29:06 PM ET |
Earlier in the month I spoke at the funeral of my friend Howard Coleman. Let me share a bit about him and in a broader manner share the challenges of community impact, root cause solutions and sustainable change via the prism of Howard Coleman’s life.
Like many Michiganians, Howard was born in the south, graduated from high school and then enlisted in the army during the Vietnam era. He had eleven brothers and sisters via multiple family settings. The class nature of the war brought Howard to the most difficult engagements and battles. He did not have the option or opportunity to remain in a supportive role back in the urban setting. At 6’3” Howard was both a warrior and a gentle man. A byproduct of his experience was his exposure to Agent Orange along with a significant addiction to both legal and illegal substances. These factors became the centerpiece of his life’s script.
Howard served 1964-72 in the war and then like many others moved to Michigan to work in the automobile industry. Howard worked on the line at Ford for 25 years, all the time affected by his personal legacy from the war. When sober he possessed a very strong work ethic. His tenure at Ford was marked by frequent arbitration meetings related to substance abuse issues culminating in his dismissal from the company.
In the late 1990s Howard started to help Pat and I around the house, with a huge focus on the gardens in Pontiac. In much of this decade Howard’s income was $3,000 a month from a combination of his pension from Ford and social security programs. All the while Howard remained homeless. He slept at the homes of friends, relatives and others and visited soup kitchens.
The $3,000 checks were gone by the 2nd week of each month. Again Howard did not spend his money on the trappings of middle-class individuals. He had no bank but used a payday lender; he had no car because he lost his driver’s license; he had few friends except people who wanted his money; he had no home except with people who supported his addiction.
All along Howard fought an internal war, knowing he had significant financial resources to support a different lifestyle but limited by his historic script. Pat and I were in many ways his extended family. We offered to find him permanent housing, we took him to the doctor or the grocery store and we shared meals with him. My mind races to both the good and the bad experiences with him. One of the best was Howard and me in the Woodward Dream Cruise in my 1978 VW convertible. Howard knew many people along the parade route. One of the worst was taking him to the hospital after he was mauled by his drug suppliers.
In the end Howard died from a combination of liver cancer and a heart that was at 25% of its capacity. He was staying in a home with only a space heater. His family was around but in many ways lamenting their loss of a piece of Howard’s finances.
My experience with Howard tests my theory of community change. When individuals are coping with Maslow’s issues of the basics of life… can sustained change truly occur? When can a new script be shaped that supports a future view of life? I have always thought that a good job is the best human service. When the good jobs have disappeared where do we go? How far are any of us from Howard’s script?
Like many Michiganians, Howard was born in the south, graduated from high school and then enlisted in the army during the Vietnam era. He had eleven brothers and sisters via multiple family settings. The class nature of the war brought Howard to the most difficult engagements and battles. He did not have the option or opportunity to remain in a supportive role back in the urban setting. At 6’3” Howard was both a warrior and a gentle man. A byproduct of his experience was his exposure to Agent Orange along with a significant addiction to both legal and illegal substances. These factors became the centerpiece of his life’s script.
Howard served 1964-72 in the war and then like many others moved to Michigan to work in the automobile industry. Howard worked on the line at Ford for 25 years, all the time affected by his personal legacy from the war. When sober he possessed a very strong work ethic. His tenure at Ford was marked by frequent arbitration meetings related to substance abuse issues culminating in his dismissal from the company.
In the late 1990s Howard started to help Pat and I around the house, with a huge focus on the gardens in Pontiac. In much of this decade Howard’s income was $3,000 a month from a combination of his pension from Ford and social security programs. All the while Howard remained homeless. He slept at the homes of friends, relatives and others and visited soup kitchens.
The $3,000 checks were gone by the 2nd week of each month. Again Howard did not spend his money on the trappings of middle-class individuals. He had no bank but used a payday lender; he had no car because he lost his driver’s license; he had few friends except people who wanted his money; he had no home except with people who supported his addiction.
All along Howard fought an internal war, knowing he had significant financial resources to support a different lifestyle but limited by his historic script. Pat and I were in many ways his extended family. We offered to find him permanent housing, we took him to the doctor or the grocery store and we shared meals with him. My mind races to both the good and the bad experiences with him. One of the best was Howard and me in the Woodward Dream Cruise in my 1978 VW convertible. Howard knew many people along the parade route. One of the worst was taking him to the hospital after he was mauled by his drug suppliers.
In the end Howard died from a combination of liver cancer and a heart that was at 25% of its capacity. He was staying in a home with only a space heater. His family was around but in many ways lamenting their loss of a piece of Howard’s finances.
My experience with Howard tests my theory of community change. When individuals are coping with Maslow’s issues of the basics of life… can sustained change truly occur? When can a new script be shaped that supports a future view of life? I have always thought that a good job is the best human service. When the good jobs have disappeared where do we go? How far are any of us from Howard’s script?
Comments are closed for this post.
Obviously you and Pat were a positive force in his life but it was only one small piece of what he may have needed. To completely shift his circle of relationships to people who are building him up and encouraging his recovery is really needed, because the temptation so easily wins, and it doesn't take much to initiate the cycle.
Makes me wonder what would happen if more people would latch onto one homeless individual; if true "family" was not restricted to sharing the same blood. I would be willing to bet that we'd see a change.