Season 2, Episode 3

Finding fulfillment in L.A. 

Jerome Warner

Not everyone who calls Lower Arkansas home was born and raised here; some became L.A. citizens for various reasons. And if you scratch just beneath the surface or sit and listen a minute, you'll find some fascinating stories that make this area such an interesting place in which to live.

Take the case of Jerome Warner, who retired to Southwest Arkansas from Northeast Arkansas to afford his children the same opportunities to grow up as he and his late wife Linda had enjoyed. Larry Price suggested I look up Jerome where he volunteers down at the Columbia County Animal Protection Society (CCAPS) Thrift Store and find out what makes him what Readers' Digest calls "My Most Unforgettable Character."

Raised on a farm in Eastern Colorado, his family raised wheat and cattle as their main crops. He enlisted in the U.S. Army right out of high school and served for three years, ending his time as a surgeon's assistant in San Antonio, Texas. He studied public administration after leaving the Army, which enabled him to land a teaching position at the University of Nebraska. 

He spent 27 years of his life researching and providing delivery of public policy, usually aimed at providing services the consumer needed for economic or health purposes. It's important work that needs to be done, and he worked at it in Nebraska, Missouri and eventually Northeast Arkansas. 

After working hard at his career he and his wife decided to settle in a rural area where they could raise their family on a farm as they had been. They looked first at East Texas, but eventually settled here in Columbia County. The couple apparently passed on their values and intelligence, with a daughter who is a pharmacist and a son who is a clinical psychologist!

At 81 years of age, one might think it's time to relax and take it easy, but that's not the path Jerome has chosen. He begins his day with either six or eight miles on the treadmill or bicycle, then usually heads down to the  CCAPS to put in several hours as a volunteer.

I read an article recently listing the eight habits of the happiest people in the world. They include eating a plant based breakfast, socializing daily, volunteering, napping, and having faith. I ask Jerome how he would rate on the happiness scale, and he gave himself a "B". 

As we wrapped up the interview and still thinking about happiness, I asked Jerome if he was happy he had moved to Arkansas those years ago.

"Yes," he told me thoughtfully, "I think all of us are happy with how everything has worked out.  We've had some various problems, difficult situations, but we've also had some very good situations. Thankfully, the good has won out."

Take a listen to this latest podcast and I think you will agree--you meet some of the world's most interesting people here in Lower Arkansas!