Bowling Alone? Not Barry Leary

Barry D. Leary
B: March 2, 1912, St. Lawrence County, NY
D: November, 29 1969, St. Lawrence County, NY
Relation to Author: Grand Uncle
Brother to Helen Keenan (nee Leary)

Robert Putnam, a professor at Harvard University's Kennedy School, achieved some widespread fame for a book called Bowling Alone: The Collapse and Revival of American Community. The thesis, which you can read more about in this article, was that civic participation has been declining. Enrollment in everything from Elks Clubs to bowling leagues was/is down, with no corresponding increase in modern civic groups.

Say what you will about the thesis and the data backing it up, but what we can say is that Barry Leary would be a great anecdote to prove Professor Putnam's point. His obituary lists the following (in addition to his full time job as a Electricity Planner for Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation):

- Communicant in the St. Lawrence Catholic Church
- President of Northern New York Volunteer Fire Chiefs Association
- First Assistant Chief, North Lawrence Volunteer Fire Company
- Member of the Advisory Board of the Civil Defense of St. Lawrence County
- Area Representative, Niagara Mohawk Power Corporation Credit Union
- Board of Directors, McCavanaugh Hunting Club
- Director, Tri-Town Chamber of Commerce
- Member, Holy Name Society, St. Lawrence Catholic Church
- Honorary Member, Potsdam Volunteer Fire Department
- Past Exalted Ruler of the Malone Lodge of the Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks

It is an impressive list. Where did he find the time? Especially considering he died, sadly, at the relatively young age of 57. Looking at the list and summarizing, we can say he was actively involved in the church, volunteer fire fighting, hunting, and brotherhood / charity (Elks).

The question to my readers is this: do you prove Putman's point or refute it? In other words, are you a joiner?