Profile of a Crazy American

Today I'd like to depart from the norm just a little. I don't normally make a habit of it, but since we have several regular visitors to this site, I thought it might be interesting to profile one of them and get to know him a little better. I hope you enjoy.

On September 11, 2001 48 year old Stephen Imholt of Ohio, was just eleven days into a new job as a Business Analyst with a major U.S. group travel agency in Connecticut. Until that day Stephen, who prefers Steve, admits that, “…beyond being able to locate Newfoundland on a map, I knew next to nothing about it.”

September 11 changed that in a heart beat.

After the twin towers fell in New York, Steve recalls sitting in a company conference room deeply engaged in disaster management meeting, “Everyone was trying to come to grips with the magnitude and scope of the disaster, when suddenly we were told that all travel in and out of the US was being halted, effective immediately.”

It was then that he and his co-workers tried to determine where they might have customers who would be impacted. They quickly came to the realization that the answer was everywhere and that all of these people would be in serious trouble.

There was no sleep for Steve that night, in fact he doesn’t remember if he finally managed to get some sleep on the night of the 12th or the 13th. Steve recalls, “…things were not only hectic they were that mixture of sadness, confusion, frustration and anger that hits everyone when a disaster strikes.”

It was during this time that Newfoundland and Labrador entered Steve Imholt’s consciousness in a way he never expected and would never forget. He recalls being informed that the province had begun taking in planes and people, including his firm’s clients, without any understanding or expectation of what was going to happen next. “There were no questions and no demands, no thoughts at all from the people of the province except to do what needed to be done.”

During the days following the attacks Steve admits that this knowledge was the one thing that made him feel better about what was happening. He remembers that when he finally managed to find a quiet moment to himself, the events taking place in far away Newfoundland and Labrador brought tears to his eyes.

The horrendous events of that fateful day and the reaction of the people of Newfoundland and Labrador are what first sparked Steve Imholt’s interest in the province. Since that day he has made a concerted effort to learn everything possible about the people, industry, economy, politics, culture and social issues that make the Newfoundland and Labrador unique. For Steve it’s more than just a passing interest, it’s a passion that has continued to grow during the intervening years.

Perhaps Steve’s own words say it best.

“It was the events following 9/11 that first interested me, but it wasn’t simply as a vacationer. It was the interest of someone who wanted to know more about a place and a people who would do such a thing.”

“What I found was more than I had any reason to expect.”

“I've found kindness in reading about the people and I've discovered the full scale of human interaction and motivation, including the stubbornness to keep going, the willingness to try to make a rock into a home, and a deep and abiding love of a homeland.”

“In the writings of Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans I’ve also seen a prevalence of common understanding of their own humanity. Time and again I see humanity without stereotypes and it is this humanity that has made me most appreciative of a people and a place I new nothing about just a few years ago.”

Perhaps this is why Steve continues to be so interested in the province.

At 52, Steve is now working on contract to the City of New York as an Information Systems Project Specialist on their 9-1-1 system. He still lives in Connecticut with Toni, his wife of 31 years and says now that his children, one son and three daughters, have begun their own lives, the youngest having just started university, he has a little more time to research and discuss his new found passion.

More time for reading every thing he can lay his hands on and for visiting web logs and internet discussion sites devoted to the issues and concerns of those in the province. His passion for the place has even led him to become more than just a little familiar with such official (and often extremely dry) documents as the Terms of Union and the Atlantic Accord, among others.

It was on my own web site, Web Talk – Newfoundland and Labrador that I first came to appreciate Steve Imholt’s insightful comments. I immediately recognized a clear understanding and genuine concern for the people of the province. In fact I admit to being a little intrigued that someone using the online nickname ‘Crazy American’ could possibly know so much about the concerns and affairs of Newfoundlanders and Labradoreans. This sentiment has been expressed by others as well.

Many people have commented over the past few months that if it were not for that nickname, they would never have believed this person hadn’t been born and raised with the issues of the province swirling around him his entire life. When asked about his online persona Steve simply says, “... I've found that if you start out telling people you are a little crazy it makes them more open to actually interacting with you as a real person…”

Whether he considers himself crazy or not, a glimpse into his clarity of understanding can be seen in Steve’s perceptions of people in the province.

“What I see as the single biggest difference between the people of Newfoundland and Labrador and people in many other parts of the world is their feeling of community. Although I haven’t been there myself, I’m willing to bet that many people, especially in the outports, don't even lock their doors.”

“Perhaps that alone is enough to make me want to know more, and to continue to see how I can return the favor shown our people during 9/11. The only problem is that it’s a really big favor to repay and I keep getting more insight into the province’s humanity, diversity and essential goodness all the time. As a result of this new knowledge, the size of the favor just keeps growing for me. But that’s a good problem to have I think.”

Steve regularly does his best to open up dialogue on issues in the province through applying his new found knowledge and professional analytical skills to discussions on a myriad of provincial issues. There is no topic he won’t tackle, from the Atlantic Accord to Churchill Falls, from out migration to the seal hunt, from transfer payments to rural development and even the sometimes stormy relationship between Labrador and the island. No subject escapes his notice. His views on these topics and others speak loudly, not only of his deep understanding of their complexities, but of the deeply held feelings for the people themselves.

Here are just a couple snippets from his comments:

On the topic of energy security as identified in a recent provincial discussion paper:

“….without an effective transmission and distribution system neither hydroelectric generation or oil drilling and recovery provides any energy security at all.”

On the topic of the seal hunt and the approach of some animal rights activists:

“…ignoring the reality of the people who live and die on the basis of the very marine ecosystem activists are supposedly trying to protect strikes me as an exercise designed to cause animosity and enmity, not solutions. “

”…you cannot remove a people's livelihood then suggest paying them to take scraps from your table and expect them to like it…”

As insightful, and sometimes even humorous, as his comments may be, Steve is often his own worst critic when it comes to their validity and value. Anyone who has read them usually finds them nothing less than educational, inspiring or at the very least interesting.

In spite of the fact that he is less than convinced of their value, in a continuing effort to, as he puts it, “…return the favor” and at the prodding of many who have come to know him, Steve continues to make his comments available on various web sites and has even begun emailing them to Canadian officials at both the provincial and federal levels.

It’s often said in this province that “people from the outside think they know better than us how things should be done here.” Perhaps being aware of that saying is one of the reasons Steve Imholt is often hesitant to put his views forward. Perhaps he feels that coming from an “outsider” they’ll be disregarded, ridiculed or resented. They aren’t, and with good reason. No matter what your feeling on an issue, when you read a comment from the “Crazy American”, it’s obvious your are reading the words of someone who truly cares.

We may never fully realize the impact 9/11 has had and continues to have on this province. The simple yet honest acts of kindness displayed at that time have had an immeasurable impact on people here and around the globe. It’s changed how our province is perceived throughout the world and in some ways even how we perceive ourselves.

Perhaps the deep impact 9/11 has had on Steve Imholt is one of those little understood outcomes. It’s clear to anyone who has spoken with him that even though he wasn’t born here, never lived here and has never even visited here, Steve Imholt has somehow managed to become a true Newfoundlander or Labradorean at heart.

Steve has told me that although his work commitments are quite hectic, he and Toni hope to make their first trip to the province within the next couple of years. Who knows, maybe he’ll even take part in that old provincial custom, the “screech in” and become an official Newfoundlander and Labradorean.