Research Catalog

In the heart of it all : an unvarnished account of my life in public service

Title

In the heart of it all : an unvarnished account of my life in public service / Richard F. Celeste.

Author

Celeste, Richard F.

Publication

Kent, Ohio : The Kent State University Press, [2022]
©2022

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Status	Format	Access	Call Number	Item Location
Request for On-site Use Request Scan Available - Can be used on site. Please visit New York Public Library - Schwarzman Building to submit a request in person.	Text	Use in library	JFE 23-775	Schwarzman Building - Milstein Division Room 121

Holdings

Details

Additional Authors

Kent State University. Press, publisher.

Description

xii, 356 pages : illustrations, portraits; 23 cm

Summary

""Dick, remember this admonition: to whom much is given, much is expected." As the eldest child in his Italian American family, Richard F. Celeste frequently heard his maternal grandmother repeat this aphorism. His paternal grandmother's advice was, "Bresta your cards." This divergent advice reverberated within him for years to come, informing Celeste's approach to what has become a life of serving others. In the Heart of it All recounts Celeste's childhood in Lakewood, Ohio, where his politically ambitious father eventually served as mayor. Awarded a scholarship to attend Yale University, Celeste studied history and later became a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford; while living overseas, he met and quickly married his first wife, Dagmar Braun. Upon returning from Oxford, Celeste expected to begin a teaching career but was recruited to serve as a liaison for Peace Corps volunteers in Latin America, and the young couple relocated to Washington, DC, where they became friendly with Chet and Steb Bowles. When President Kennedy appointed Chet Bowles US ambassador to India, he invited Dick to work as his personal assistant. There, under Bowles's tutelage, Dick began to consider a political career of his own. Celeste returned to Ohio and successfully ran for the Ohio House of Representatives as a Democrat in 1970. After serving two terms, he was elected lieutenant governor in 1974 but lost the 1978 governor's race by a slim margin. Celeste worked in DC as director of the Peace Corps while plotting his next move, and in 1982, his gubernatorial campaign resulted in a landslide victory. He served two terms as Ohio's governor, tackling an epic savings and loan crisis along with mental health reform and job creation. Celeste describes candidly why he considered and dismissed a presidential campaign in 1988. He went on to serve as ambassador to India under President Clinton, traveling there with his second wife, Jacqueline Lundquist, and bringing his career full circle. Shortly after that position ended, Celeste became president of Colorado College, serving from 2002 to 2011. In each position, Celeste has used his grandmothers' wisdom to guide his decision making, putting the needs of his various constituents-Ohio citizens, Peace Corps volunteers, diplomatic colleagues, and college students-above his ego and popularity ratings, and, as he poignantly reflects, sometimes even before his family. In the Heart of It All offers a remarkably frank and expansive account of Celeste's personal and professional life, including his disappointing defeats and thrilling victories"--

Subject

Genre/Form

Biographies.
Autobiographies.

Note

Includes index.

Contents

In the Beginning -- Yale -- Oxford -- India -- On to Columbus -- The Awkward Challenge -- Peace Corps -- Landslide -- First Term and Other Crises -- Savings and Loans -- A Second Term and the Presidency -- Private Life and Other Unexpected Destinations -- What's the Situation That Prevails?

Call Number

JFE 23-775

ISBN

9781606354452
1606354450

LCCN

2022042769

OCLC

1330405369
1330405369

Author

Celeste, Richard F., author.

Title

In the heart of it all : an unvarnished account of my life in public service / Richard F. Celeste.

Publisher

Kent, Ohio : The Kent State University Press, [2022]

Copyright Date

Type of Content

text

still image

Type of Medium

unmediated

Type of Carrier

volume

Added Author

Kent State University. Press, publisher.

Research Call Number

JFE 23-775

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