Page 146 - Demo

144AfterwordWhenever we meet someone new, one of the first things we learn about them is what they do for a living. %u201cHi, I%u2019m so-and-so, and I%u2019m a teacher (or machinist, or waitress, or lawyer, or nanny).%u201d We do this because what-wedo is considered a summary of who-we-are.If an individual says they%u2019re a doctor, we conjure up an immediate image, one that%u2019s different from that of a hair stylist, foundry worker, or accountant. In short, knowing what a person does for a living, gives us a sampling of their personality, perhaps their level of education, maybe even an idea of where, and how, they live. Sometimes, I catch myself guessing the occupations of others. For example, if I%u2019m waiting in line, I%u2019ll speculate about the people around me. There%u2019s a man in jeans and T-shirt, with a dark tan%u2014he probably does outdoor manual labor. Or that woman wearing an expensive blue suit%u2014she could be an executive.In a related manner, when I wander around a closed-up business, I find myself visualizing the men and women who worked there. It%u2019s not their faces I see, but what they wore, and what they did, week after week%u2014sometimes for decades. By standing where they stood, where they spent their days (or nights on a graveyard shift), I feel I can get a picture of who they were. Of course, I know I%u2019m relying on preconceived ideas, guesswork, and stereotypes, as we all do. No occupation can completely define anyone%u2014not what a person reads, the music he listens to, or what food she prefers. It reveals nothing about a spouse, children, pets, or hobbies. Despite this, we continue to identify others, and ourselves, by how a paycheck is earned%u2014it%u2019s almost who we are. Because the silent workplaces on these pages have been central to the identities of so many owners and employees, over so many years, I feel these empty buildings are physical monuments to those lives. They are visible, tangible examples of our state%u2019s working legacy, and are essential to our collective Hoosier identity. They%u2019re not just derelict structures from an earlier time, but the material remains of once-vital enterprise, and they need to be honored.As a final note, I%u2019d like to warmly thank Gayle and Bill Cook for sharing their perceptive observations and commentary in the Foreword to Silent Workplace. The Cooks have restored a wide range of Indiana%u2019s fading commercial buildings. And they deeply appreciate their importance to those who came before us, those living today, and to all who will come after. I%u2019m grateful to have them as a part of this book. %u2014JBBear Brand Hosiery Co., Gary%u2014Lake Co. (752.02)