By PEGGY BEEN

MCFF

“And when you pass on, what are you gonna pass down?”

That’s the main line from a current Country Music song titled, McArthur, sung by four acclaimed artists (Tim McGraw, Eric Church, Michael Hardy, and Morgan Wallen). The song covers four generations of men in the McArthur family, from the great-grandfather who settled the land to the fourth-generation son who is looking to sell. In less than four minutes, the song chronicles the trials, the hard work and the commitment of this family. 

My intent is not to discuss whether to sell the farm. That is always a private and unique situation to each family. 

What struck me in the song is how over time - in just four generations - the family’s origin story seemed to have been lost. Every family has a unique history, and who we are today is at least partly due to those who came before us. 

A community is like a family with a unique life and its own story. It has a beginning when men and women took risks to build homes, businesses, schools and churches. They added hospitals for the health of the residents; newspapers and radio stations for news and information; theaters and restaurants for entertainment and gathering places; parks for recreation and enjoyment of nature; and beautiful buildings and neighborhoods to enhance the lives of all who lived there. They hoped to make a living with their endeavors and to provide a better life for their families for following generations. 

If we consider that a generation is approximately 25 years, then four generations would be about 100 years.  If we look back 100 years in the history of McCook (early 1920s), we find a lot of building happening by those willing to take risks. We can see at different times the resurgence of this creative energy within McCook with times of rest between, like the natural ebb and flow of nature. It seems now we are again living in a resurgence of creative and grand developments. Yes, there is risk involved, but there is no gain without action. 

Who were these men and women who 100 years ago were willing to risk so much to build our town? Was the time just right? Did they possess more intelligence, courage, or optimism than those of us today? Do we have people today willing and able to step up and continue the legacy of McCook and our area? Are you one of these people?

Switching from the community level to your own family, what is your story? Will your children and grandchildren understand what it meant for you to build a better life for them? Fifty to 100 years from now, will your family remember you as a builder, a risk taker, a philanthropist who worked to make your community a better place to live? Will your children and grandchildren have learned to do the same? 

A common statement made in the Nebraska Community Foundation-world is: We are the people we have been waiting for. Are you the person our community has been waiting for?

Our communities need those builders – the dreamers with the optimism and courage to take risks.

We are all going to pass on. It is your decision what you are going to pass down. 

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Peggy Been is the secretary for the McCook Community Foundation Fund Advisory Committee. She is in the midst of four generations of her own, navigating how to make an impact and leave a legacy as well as passing along those values.