by Gudrun Hutchins

Andrea Weisberg, longtime branch member passed away on April 27. You can read her full obituary here. 

As we remember Andrea, I thought it would be appropriate to include her favorite story about making a difference by Loren Eiseley and the conclusions she drew from it.

in a parting message to branch members in June, 2010, at the end of serving four years as Vermont State President of AAUW, Andrea shared the story.

During her  time as Vermont State President, Andrea attended two National AAUW conventions, two New England Regional AAUW conventions, and led four Vermont State Conventions. Branch members Jennifer Kern, Mary Feidner, and I served on her state board.

As you will see, the  story of the wise man (below) could be a story of Andrea herself. Andrea made a difference for AAUW members across the state and for members of our branch. We will not forget her. 

“Making a Difference” by Loren Eiseley 

Once upon a time there was a wise man who used to go to the ocean to do his writing. He had a habit of walking on the beach before he began his work.

One day he was walking along the shore. As he looked down the beach, he saw a human figure moving like a dancer. He smiled to himself to think that someone would dance to the day. So he began to walk faster to catch up.

As he got closer, he saw that it was a young man. The young man wasn’t dancing, but instead he was reaching down to the shore, picking up something, and very gently throwing it into the ocean.

As he got closer he called out, “Good morning! What are you doing?” The young man paused, looked up and replied, “Throwing starfish into the ocean.”

“I guess I should have asked: Why are you throwing starfish into the ocean?”

“The sun is up and the tide is going out. And if I don’t throw them in they’ll die.”

“But young man, don’t you realize that there are miles and miles of beach and starfish all along it. You can’t possibly make a difference!”

The young man listened politely. Then he bent down, picked up another starfish and threw it into the sea, past the breaking waves and said, “It made a difference for that one.”

Andrea added a conclusion: “There is something very special in each and every one of us. We have all been gifted with the ability to make a difference. If we can become aware of that gift, we gain through the strength of our vision the power to shape the future. We must each find our starfish. If we throw our starfish wisely and well, the world will be changed.”

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