Growing Where The Sidewalk Ends
New President, Tara Baukus Mello, Shares How She Came to Alabama
Five years ago, I had what I have now come to call a sidewalk ending moment. The result was that my family and I left a perfectly happy life in Southern California and moved to Huntsville. It was the best thing we ever did.
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My husband, whose company builds trainers for military aircraft, had been traveling to Huntsville for several years to work with customers on Redstone Arsenal. In summer 2016, we traveled as a family to Huntsville for two weeks so our daughter, who was in 4th grade, could attend summer camp at Space & Rocket. Our third day in town, Jeff and I dropped her off at camp and came home to the house we had rented, deciding to take a walk before sitting down to work remotely for the day. We journeyed to the edge of the cookie-cutter neighborhood only to discover the sidewalk ended abruptly, on a very busy street. Rather than turn around, we crossed the road.
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We found ourselves in a more rural neighborhood filled with older homes on much larger lots. One side of the small neighborhood bordered a cattle farm, and another was nestled up against Land Trust property. In the short loop around the neighborhood, we walked by a house that caught our eye. It was for sale and we decided, completely on impulse, to look at it. During the two weeks we spent in Huntsville, we fell in love with the area, the people, and what the community offered. And we couldn’t stop thinking about that house.
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On the way to the airport, we decided to make an offer on the house and move. It seemed crazy, but we just knew, in the depths of our being, that it was the right choice.
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When we got home, our friends asked, “How was your trip?” We answered, “Great. We are moving there.” They all responded, incredulously, “You’re moving to Alabama?”
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Let’s face it, in much of the national media, Alabama has a bad rap. But you and I know differently, don’t we?
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For the first year that we lived here, we spent a lot of time educating ourselves and then friends and family in other parts of the country about all the Yellowhammer State has to offer. In 2019, I joined the Harvard Club as the Huntsville Regional Representative, learning from former president Will Wright and the rest of the board about a passion for sharing the uniqueness of the state in an effort to attract folks here to settle down. It resonated deeply.
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I couldn’t be more excited (and honored) to be the new president of The Harvard Club of Alabama. Through Will Wright’s leadership and vision, the Club has grown tremendously and evolved to be the among the most active of the Harvard Clubs in the southeast. My aim is to continue this vision, expanding on our existing goals, and connecting more alumni throughout the state. (Did you know there are over 800 of us?)
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To get the ball rolling, here are three opportunities:
- Grab the drink of your choice and jump on Zoom for a Virtual Cocktail Hour on September 22, hosted by Community Outreach Chair Kevin Ferguson and myself. Sign up here to get reminders and access the Zoom link.
- Join me, Huntsville Regional Rep Elizabeth Hamrick and other alumni in person for a walking tour of Huntsville’s historic district, Twickenham. This outdoor event will take place Saturday, September 25 with time for socializing after the tour on the lawn at Constitution Park. Details and tickets are here.
- Schedule virtual one-on-one time with me, using my Calendly link. I want to get to know as many alumni in the state as possible, so don’t be shy!
When I think back on it, I’ve had quite a few sidewalk ending moments in my life, even though I didn’t call them that at the time. Attending Harvard was one of them. So was my move to Los Angeles from Cape Cod, to become the youngest editor (and the first woman), at an automotive magazine publisher. But those are stories for another time--perhaps when we meet.
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The thing about sidewalk-ending moments is that they often produce stomach flip-flops that make you think, “Oh, I couldn’t do that.” If I’m being honest, that was a bit of the feeling I had when I was asked if I’d consider filling Will Wright’s shoes as president. (They are some sizable shoes.) But sidewalk-ending moments are one of the ways we grow.
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I’m curious: What’s been at the end of your sidewalk? I hope you’ll share your stories with me when we connect.
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And if you currently find yourself at the end of a sidewalk, unsure whether to take the leap, I leave you with poet Shel Silverstein’s words:
“There the grass grows soft and white / And there the sun burns crimson bright / And there the moon-bird rests from his flight / To cool in the peppermint wind.”
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I’d have to agree. Here’s the literal end of the sidewalk that caused my family to take the life-changing leap that brought us to Alabama:
Reach out soon, okay?