NAPABA Trailblazer award winner Gary Locke, former governor of Washington and recently U.S. Secretary of Commerce, took his new post as U.S. Ambassador to China on August 17th. People on the Internet, especially in China, took note that he toted his own backpack and bought his own coffee. “Took note” may be too casual a phrase – “observed in shock and awe” would be more accurate. While a small proportion wondered how someone as high-ranking as Locke could not have an entourage, the majority approved of his humility.
I have a lot of admiration for people who carry their own bags, or who as one of my storied professors said, “don’t drop their briefcase and run”.