Mentors Pay It Forward to Up and Comers
We hear and read a lot about the fact that mentors pay it forward. Some of us, myself included. have mentors who contribute to our lives and our successes. Well-known leaders, including Jack Welsh, Ursula Burns – CEO Xerox, Oprah Winfrey, and Richard Branson, have talked about the important roles mentors played in their lives.
Why do some people invest in mentoring others? Where does the desire for mentors to pay it forward come from? Marty Glickman was a mentor extraordinaire whose story sheds light on the answers to that question.
Marty Glickman was a mentor to sportscasters Bob Costas, Marv Albert, and others. He also focused on the not-about-to-be-famous. Marty devoted his life to helping kids by working with New York City high schools, the Police Athletic League, and other institutions. He believed sports was a way to transcend divisions across race, class and religious boundaries. He was actively devoted to that cause.
About Marty the Mentor
“He wanted you to be better than he was. He reveled in your success.”
“He never had a question about finding the time to help other people succeed.”
“An admirable man. A second father to me. He represented our hearts.”
“He believed in me. He really wanted me to succeed [and he told me] ‘You’re not going to fail because I’m not going to let you.’ ” Gayle Sierens – the first, and still the only woman, to call an NFL game. (Sierens was asked to, but never called, another game. It’s complicated and definitely related to gender. See the full story here.)
Who is Marty Glickman, and why did he give so much of himself to help others succeed?
Glickman was an outstanding track and field athlete aka The Flatbush Flash (Brooklyn) who made it to the 1936 Olympics, Germany. But Glickman never ran. He and the only other Jewish U.S. team member were replaced by Jesse Owens and Ralph Metcalfe. Why? The coaches claimed Owens and Metcalfe were faster runners who could win the race. Later they also concurred with Marty’s quote in The Daily News stating, “Dean Cromwell and Avery Brundage were motivated by antisemitism and the desire to spare the Führer the embarrassing sight of two American Jews on the winning podium.” Owens objected to his teammates’ expulsion from the race.
Untrue legend has it that Hitler left the field to avoid congratulating Owens. However, 83 year old veteran sports reporter, Siegfried Mischner, claims Hitler left the stadium AFTER shaking Owens’ hand and a photograph Owens carried in his wallet serves as proof.
Glickman passed away on January 3, 2001 and in 2009 HBO previewed a documentary about his life. (Definitely worth watching) An article about the film and Glickman’s life in The Bleacher Report (2013) talks about Marty as a mentor and sponsor.
“…his inability to compete on the United States Track and Field Team because of his religion did not prevent him from attempting to open doors for others later in life.”
I suggest Glickman opened doors not despite what happened to him but BECAUSE of what happened. People who mattered readily closed doors in Marty’s face without consideration for the young man he was then. They also failed to consider whether it was the morally right thing to do for humanity.
Bitter or Better?
Misfortune and adversity makes us bitter or makes us better. One letter makes all the difference. Marty chose better.
What will you choose?
If you’re interested in being or finding a mentor, opportunities abound in your local community, professional organizations and at work. You can also find or become a mentor to a professional women anywhere around the world at 3Plus International.