... learn something you never knew before.
Loren Horton
Loren Horton has spent his life educating others, and it should be no surprise that knowledge is what he most wants younger people to appreciate.
"Take every opportunity to learn something you never knew before," he said. "I tried to learn what was being taught in school. But there's a lot of things you can learn from other people, too."
Horton spent 24 years as senior historian and field representative at the State Historical Society of Iowa, driving 25,000 miles per year around the state.
"I drove a lot of small roads and met an awful lot of interesting people," he said.
One thing he learned over those years was that people can be positive or negative role models.
"You can take a positive thing and use some imitation," Horton said. "Or it can be a negative thing, that you want to avoid another person's mistakes."
Horton earned bachelor's and master's degrees at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls when it was still called the Iowa State Teachers' College. He came to Iowa City in 1969 to earn a Ph.D. and then taught for 17 years at various levels from junior high through college before joining the historical society.
Retirement may have slowed his car, but not the man. Horton is an active member of the Johnson County Conservation Board and the Police Citizen's Review Board. He's also served time on the Johnson County Historic Preservation Commission, the Iowa City Riverfront Commission and the Iowa City Planning and Zoning Commission.
And he's active in programs at the Senior Center, frequently giving lectures there.
"I try not to get bored," he said. "There are hours in the day you have to be something. It might as well not be sitting around and staring at the walls."
— Jon Klinkowitz
