How Deep Is Your Personal Development?

By Perry Rearick, Chief Editor, Follow Your Buyer

Dr. Frank Mainzer served as a neurosurgeon in Erie Pennsylvania from 1965 until 1992 at both St. Vincent Health Center and Hamot Medical Center. It was a time when we knew far less about neuroscience and Dr. Mainzer was leading efforts to better understand the effects of traumatic brain injury.

He also served in the Marines during the Korean War, and I met him through our common service bond. I was serving as the Professor of Military Science at a small state university in Pennsylvania, I was responsible for the Army ROTC program, and Frank walked into our offices on campus one day.

We had developed a recruiting flyer and circulated it around campus that stated being an Army officer was not rocket science or brain surgery, it was harder. It did bring some great candidates to us, but also Frank, who approached me carrying one of the fliers saying he took issue with what it said. It was a great ice breaker and Frank became a supporter of the program, taking part in our traditions and presenting outstanding student awards each year.

At this time, Frank was in his 80s but was enrolled in classes at the university. Huh, what! I thought, what in the world is a brain surgeon learning on this humble college campus?

Saying that Frank knew a thing or two about the brain is an understatement. He enrolled in a class each semester and had been doing it since retiring from full-time medicine. And he didn’t just audit a class on a subject he found interesting. He focused on an academic area he never had enough time for and enrolled in every class they offered.

He started with English literature, then accounting and when I met him his focus was history. He attended each class, took the exams, and had an official GPA. And remember, he’s in his 80s. This, he said, kept his brain from atrophying and promoted growth.

What are you doing to grow and how serious are you?

You may consume professional journals, read professional and personal development books and perhaps adopt new hobbies. But how deep are you going? Are you growing your brain in Dr. Frank Mainzer style?