Spring 2020 \ ACCESS ACM 6
Reflecting on Our Change of Seasons*
By Burt Hiester, ACM Foundation Donor
Cumberland, Maryland may
be the polar opposite of
Long Island, New York.
But for us, that was our goal: a
place where we could experience
the change of seasons, a slower
life pace, and the beauty of the
mountains. At the time, my
bride, Mary Ann, and I were early
retirees in our mid-fifties. We
knew it was time to leave city life
and the flatness of the Atlantic
seaboard. We planned for years to
make it happen. When we visited
Cumberland for the first time, we
knew it was home.
We have enjoyed life in
Cumberland for more than twenty
years, the chance to know the
place and the warmth of its people.
Now, as we begin to pack up the
house that we built and prepare
to move closer to our daughter
in Georgia, we think about what
we hope will be our legacy here.
Cumberland was where I became
a teacher in my post-retirement
years, offering strategies on
planning for the future. From that
experience, I have settled on
two simple directives I would
like to share with you, the reader,
before I leave the region: invest in
yourself and invest in the education
of others.
I encourage everyone to strive
to invest ten percent of your
earnings, if you are able. Think
of it as “paying” yourself first by
investing in your future. Utilize your
company’s retirement program
or work with a trusted brokerage
company if you are self-employed
or working multiple or seasonal
jobs. Ask questions and monitor
your investments. It is, after all,
your money.
It has often been said that
education is the great equalizer, and
I believe it is. Education, whether it
is earned through part-time or fulltime
classes, leads to an enhanced
world view and better life.
I believe that we who can have
an obligation to help others receive
the gift of education. For Mary Ann
and myself, planning for our
children and grandchildren’s higher
education was our starting point.
We set up education savings
accounts, watched them grow over
time, and celebrated when our
family members graduated without
college debt.
Outside of our family, we
considered what we could do
for our community. Through
my affiliation with the Allegany
College of Maryland, Mary Ann
and I established The Hiester
Scholarship within the ACM
Foundation for regional students
who are committed to contributing
to their education. Our support is
an investment in the growth and
progress of Allegany County and
the surrounding area.
Our criteria for the scholarship
matches our philosophy of
encouraging and supporting a
strong work ethic, a quality we
hope will benefit scholarship
recipients and boost regional
prosperity. In the many years
since we established The Hiester
Scholarship, we have enjoyed
meeting and getting to know the
students who attend the college.
Their life stories and life dreams
inspire us. It is our hope that our
scholarship recipients will help
others achieve their education and
career goals one day.
Mary Ann and I will continue
to do our part to help individuals
with their college expenses. I also
encourage you, if you able, to
support the education of others.
*Article first appeared as a reader commentary
on December 17, 2019 in the Cumberland Times-
News. It has been edited for length.
Mary Ann and Burt Hiester, donors to the ACM Foundation, believe in helping
others receive the gift of education.