The Unknowns

The Unknowns

    No, nothing mathematical here, no big equations or mysteries of the universe.  Rather, here's a name thrown out at you...Edwin Ruud.  Hmm, never heard of him?  Me neither, until the other day when our air conditioning guy came over for the annual checkup of our monster, a 10-year old noisy rascal that was once the state of perfection back when and now (like me) was slowing down a bit on the hot days.  All's well, he said, got another 5 years or so (the average life expectancy of today's air conditioners); and if it should go kaput, I asked, do I stay with the same brand (in our case, DuCane which was the less-expensive rival to Lennox who has since bought them out); nah, he said, Ruud...good value and dependable.  What, I said, since I'd never heard of that brand of heating and cooling units.  "Ruud," he said, "after Edwin Ruud, the inventor of the water heater."  Of course, I nodded, not really knowing who the heck Edwin Ruud was (then or now).

    Here's another...Gene Cernan (last man to walk on the moon and now the subject of a poignant and reflective BBC documentary); or Artur Fischer, inventor of the plastic anchor (for those drywall holes) and 1100 other patents; or George Washington Gale Ferris, Jr. who answered the challenge for Chicago's exposition to create something to rival the new Eiffel Tower in Paris (he created the Ferris wheel, an enormous hit at the fair but he became mired in personal debt afterwards --trying to get the fair to pay him so that he could pay his suppliers-- passing away at age 37...his original Ferris wheel that he designed for the fair was later sold and dynamited into scrap metal).  Or Yolande Betbeze Fox, Miss America winner who recently passed away at age 87 and who famously declared, "‘I’m an opera singer, not a pinup!" and refused to parade around in swimsuits (the sponsor of the pageant was Catalina Swimwear)...ironically, she did win the swimsuit competition.  Or Vigee Le Brun, made famous by Marie Antoinette at a time when women were not supposed to be or ever become artists (an exhibit of her paintings recently concluded at the Met in New York City).  They all went on to become quite famous in their own way, perhaps not as persons but more for what they had done (the Dubai Eye will become the world's tallest Ferris wheel when it opens next year, and Artur Fischer's wall plugs are now produced to the tune of 14 million per day).  And now comes Simone Biles.

    Many famous coaches have said that they have never seen anyone like her.  Many of her teammates say the same thing, as do many former world champions.  She'll be in Rio in a month, a gymnast ready to tackle the new scoring system that basically does away with the "10" rating (in theory, the number can now be unlimited and will be based on both difficulty and execution).  And how good is she?  In an article in The New Yorker, author Reeves Wiedeman wrote, "In a sport often contested in hundredths of a point, Biles wins by whole numbers."   Life does that sometimes, gives a lopsided amount of talent or natural ability to someone, sometimes makes them famous or rich, and then just as quickly forgets about them...at least until much, much later.  But here's something a bit more unusual and a bit more unknown than Simone Biles...Stubby.

    Fascinated by soldiers doing drills at Yale University, Stubby learned as he watched from afar, the bugle calls, the drills, even the salute.  And did I mention that Stubby was a dog, a mongrel if one had to properly describe him.  And dogs were simply not allowed in the military back in 1917 as the U.S. prepared for WW I.  In an article in Pets In the City, author Mona Mistric wrote: Combat began on February 5, 1981 at Chemin des Dames, and the soldiers and Stubby were under constant fire, day and night, for over a month.  Stubby became accustomed to the loud rifles and heavy artillery fire.  Since he could hear the whine of incoming artillery shells before humans could, he would alert his unit when to duck for cover.  Stubby also would listen for the sound of an English speaking soldier, then go to that location.  If the soldier was injured, Stubby would bark until paramedics arrived.  If he was lost, Stubby would lead him back to safety...His first battle injury occurred from exposure to mustard gas.  After he recovered, he returned with a specially designed gas mask.  He was very sensitive to the slightest trace of gas, which enabled him to alert the soldiers of gas attacks.  This was especially helpful when the attacks occurred when the troops were asleep.  Stubby would run through the trenches barking and rousing them to wake up.

Photo of Stubby: The Smithsonian Institute and the 102^nd Infantry Regimental Museum

    Famous or not, talented or not, heroic or not, life goes by with many such unknown acts of self-sacrifice.  For many, their acts will largely remain unknown...surgeons volunteering to work on those innocently wounded in a war not of their making, caretakers giving up day after day of their own lives to provide for another, working mothers coming home tired to a full house of waiting family members, customer service reps and laborers who generate that extra smile amidst an ungrateful audience.  The list goes on.  Throughout the world, throughout your lives, there are and will continue to be unknowns, people who deserve better but never ask for it, people and animals who give of themselves and expect nothing in return...not fame, not payment, not even a thank you.  But any or all of it would be welcome at any point...especially the "thank you."