On January 29, the Pacific community will pay tribute to a hometown hero and simultaneously help a lot of people who have fallen on hard times.
The Pacific Area Chamber of Commerce will dedicate its annual community charity benefit, “Piano’s for a Purpose,” to the memory of the late Al Baldwin, by sharing the profits from the gala with one of Al’s favorite causes, the Safety Net program that benefits students and families that have been displaced from their homes.
I have to tell you . . . I’m not crazy about the term hero. I think it gets diluted by being too easily used. But I have to recognize that it is a real word that has real meaning.
I mean, there is something heroic about running into a burning building, whether it is to save a human life, a family pet or just to save someone’s home. To my way of thinking, firefighters always qualify as heroes.
But this month our town is celebrating another kind of hero. A man who thrived on the dreams, memories and wishes of other people. To say he was the community’s most enthusiastic advocate doesn’t even come close.
If you ever – even in passing – told Al about something that you really liked, really needed or really wanted, he was your immediate fan, taking on your dream as mission of his own.
The community was electrified in collective grief when Al passed away October 24.
When the Chamber of Commerce presented a posthumous Lifetime Achievement Award to Al’s widow Cheryl at its December 15 Christmas party, there was probably not a person in the room who had not benefited from Al’s enthusiasm for the things they hold dear.
But I don’t think there could have been any more grateful recipients of Al’s attention than Dan McClain and me. We started the Safety Net program eight years ago to benefit homeless students, and their families.
From the beginning the description homeless was a little off. That first year there were seven students in the MVR-III school district that qualified as homeless.
These were not the traditional inner city homeless that we read about living on the street. These were local families that had lost their homes due to a financial setback, living in temporary conditions. They were doubled up with relatives or living in affordable rental property until they could get back on their feet.
Mary Beth Schmidt and Carol Johnson were the first to respond to the program. They each came to Dan and me saying they wanted to help. Their timing could not have been better.
Without warning, the number of community homeless exploded to numbers Dan and I never dreamed of. When the dual 2015 and 2016 floods inundated old town Pacific, the number of displaced students in the district catapulted to more than 300.
When we told Al about our quest to help these students enjoy the same school experience as other students while their families built back their lives, we mentioned that the greatest need the kids had was shoes. Al turned to one of First State Community Bank’s community service programs and bought dozens of pairs of shoes for kids from kindergarten through twelfth grade, buying sometimes as many as six pairs in the same size.
The plight of the families living in cramped quarters and striving to rebuild their former lives never left Al. He was so touched by it that in his funeral notice Cherul asked that in lieu of flowers mourners donate to Safety Net.
But out community service program was just one local cause that Al championed. While serving as a bank executive in Pacific for two decades he served on civic boards including the Chamber of Commerce, Eagles Aerie #3842, Pacific Lions Club, and was a strong booster of the Pacific Partnership’s Main Street initiative, and the Tri County Senior Center.
He was a strong advocate for the resurgence of downtown Pacific. After joining First State Community Bank (FSCB) as executive vice president, Al oversaw the transformation of a former St. Louis Street grocery story building into the state of the art bank building.
He loved local history and filled the restored building with photos depicting Pacific’s railroad history and the area’s former one-room schools that became part of the Meramec Valley R-III school district. He made room for a set of theater seats from the former Royal Theater and a historic passenger bench saved from the old Pacific train depot. His enthusiasm for the remnants of Pacific past was so infectious, he often joined Pat Dubuque to guide visitors on tours of the history exhibits.
It was his commitment to the displaced families that inspired the Chamber of Commerce to dedicated the 2022 Pianos for a Purpose to his memory. Sarah Sommers, Chamber president said the business organization wanted to recognize Al’s commitment to displaced families by selecting the Safety Net program to share in the proceeds from the 2022 Pianos for a Purpose fund raising gala.
The dueling pianos and dinner event is a great show and a fun evening. Cost is $40 a person or $300 for a table of eight. Tickets and tables can be purchased online at www.pacificchamber.com/events
