Aaron Lubin’s only regret is missing out on the circus
KIMBERLY DISHONGH
Every school needs an Aaron Lubin, or so says the former principal of one where Lubin is a frequent advocate.
“Everybody needs a mentor. Everybody deserves a Mr. Lubin,” says Felicia Hobbs, who retired as principal of Little Rock’s Gibbs Magnet Elementary in 2016. “He helped me work through things and he gave me confidence, and he would bring in all kinds of resources for our school — not just materials, but also human resources.”
Lubin, 80, started volunteering at Gibbs more than 28 years ago.
“They call me an ambassador,” he says.
Tina Greenwood “inherited” Lubin when she was hired as principal following Hobbs’ retirement.
“He welcomed me at the door,” Greenwood says. “He was right there, asking what I needed and what he could do.”
Lubin started a business, Executive Recruiters Agency, in 1974, shortly after arriving in Little Rock. He used his professional know-how to help guide Hobbs and Greenwood through staffing and other concerns at Gibbs.
“He has connected us with the Rotary Club, and they are supposed to start a tutoring program in the fall, where they’re going to be working with kindergarten, first- and second-graders who are not on grade level, because, you know, under the LEARNS Act, if they aren’t on grade level by third grade they will have to repeat the grade,” says Greenwood of Lubin, past president of Rotary Club 99.
His volunteer role covers myriad tasks. He works one-on-one with students on reading and math and, several years ago, he helped lobby city officials for a change to traffic patterns in front of the school, getting the street out front changed to one way to make pick-up and drop-off safer for kids.
“We talk about, ‘What can we do to make this a better school?’ and ‘What is one little thing we can do to maybe help a student if they’re not quite getting there?’” he says. “The other thing we focus on a lot is making them better citizens.”
To that end, he works with students on resolving conflicts and building relationships within their community.
Lubin, who has visited 120 countries so far, was drawn to the small school because of its focus on international studies. He shares his experiences with students, and through his involvement with organizations like Global Ties he has brought in various international visitors as well.
Lubin grew up in University City, Mo., the son of a Russian immigrant who worked as an electrician. His neighborhood was populated by laborers from various countries, which gave him an appreciation for both hard work and for cultural diversity.
He went to the University of Illinois at Chicago his freshman year, and transferred as a sophomore to St. Louis University.
“I decided I was going to go to college out in California and I did my applications — I didn’t even tell my parents,” he says. “I told them when I was accepted that I was going to go to Long Beach.”
He remained in California after graduating from California State University with a bachelor’s degree in sociology. To put himself through college — and to support himself afterward — he waited tables, worked as a short order cook, umpired baseball games and painted the curbs of homes in Beverly Hills’ Trousdale Estates.
“I did some work in the fashion industry,” he says. “We did fashion publications. I don’t know if you’ve heard of Women’s Wear Daily? That’s kind of their bible. Our circulation was greater than theirs on the West Coast.”
Lubin wrote copy for the publication, sold ads and handled marketing and promotions. He also hosted a sports radio show and worked as an agent representing celebrities like Mickey Rooney, Frankie Laine, Billy Eckstine, Rosie Greer and the Kittens and The Ink Spots.
In the 1970s, he visited friends who were in graduate school at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock.
“Los Angeles was getting crowded a little bit,” he says. “I didn’t really know a lot of people here, but it looked like a good place to be in business. I can’t believe that here it is, 50 years later.”
He has, of course, met many people in that time.
“I’ve had a lot of adventures. I’ve had a lot of great experiences and I’ve got a lovely wife, and a lot of different relationships with people that I’ve met,” says Lubin, known for a knack for remembering details about everyone he meets. “I’ve helped a lot of people. I’m still helping people, a lot of times pro bono. It’s just a part of me.”
Lubin and his wife, Sandie, visit Palm Springs, Calif., often and while there they serve meals at senior centers and homeless shelters.
He has also enjoyed visiting underdeveloped areas around the world, sometimes sleeping on the floor in places with no running water, and, in Senegal, waking each morning to the bleats of a goat.
“At 80 I’m not quite as adventuresome, but I still like to be amongst people and explore where people are,” he says.
He regrets that he once passed up a chance to work as an advance man for Ringling Brothers Circus.
“What stories would I have had, about working for a circus? Can you imagine the characters?” he says. “Even if it had just been a year, it would have been an experience.”
High Profile
en-us
2024-05-26T07:00:00.0000000Z
2024-05-26T07:00:00.0000000Z
https://edition.arkansasonline.com/article/283412016821143
WEHCO Media