Article by Claudia Kittock, photos by Rick Kittock
I grew up on a farm. Living in the country amongst farmers meant that I met a lot of ‘interesting’ men. As a group, they tend to be intelligent, blunt, and with an amazing philosophical sense of humor. If you make your living betting on nature, you need these traits. When I met Jeff Pert, he reminded me of these men I had grown up around. To say that Jeff is interesting is obvious. I am honored to call him my friend and because of our friendship, he agreed to let me write about him. When I asked him to let me write about him, he insisted it not be about this poor man who was homeless for a part of his life. Anyone who knows Jeff knows how ridiculous that characterization would be. Jeff is a strong, capable man who has lived life on his own terms and a small part of it was as a person experiencing homelessness. It doesn’t define Jeff, it is just part of his history.
Jeff and Claudia
Jeff and I met on the first day of the Mile in My Shoes program at Emanuel housing. He immediately struck me with his intelligence and his wit. Running was not something he had done before, but he quickly became as obsessed as the rest of us. He wanted to go faster and longer, and soon a marathon was in his plans.
Jeff’s journey is fascinating and one that is as unique as the man himself. He graduated from the University of Maine with a degree in history, planning to teach. Because he had been in school since he was 5 years old, Jeff decided to do something between college and teaching and joined the Coast Guard where he served for 4 years. After his time in the Coast Guard, Jeff changed plans again and joined corporate America where he worked until the age of 48.
In 2004, he was laid off from a job that we hated, and Jeff decided that he had enough of working for corporations. He walked out of that job vowing, “Never again!” and began looking for what came next.
The next spring, Jeff moved to Northeast Minneapolis to help an older man stay in his home. Jeff spent the next 10 years living in a small shed on the older man’s property. He assisted him, read books and happily regarded himself as a Northeast version of Thoreau. It was a happy time.
When the old man died in 2014, Jeff needed a new place to live, but had been making plans. A few months earlier he went to the VA, found a wonderful caseworker, Heather, who opened a file for him and activated a plan. She helped Jeff get a bed at the shelter at St. Stephens, where he lived for the next 7 weeks.
Living in a shelter is not an optimal situation for anyone, but Jeff’s spirit is remarkable. As he told me, “I woke up every morning and asked, ‘What can I do to improve my situation today, even a little bit?’ insisting that ‘Life is an adventure. Never feel sorry for yourself!’ Within 7 weeks, Heather sent him to an interview at Emanuel Housing.
Hanna, a caseworker at Emanuel, interviewed Jeff, and within a matter of days, he moved in. That was the spring of 2015. He had just turned 59 and within a few days of moving in, heard about a running club called Mile in My Shoes that was just beginning at Emanuel. Jeff was there for the very first session, and I met my future friend.
Photo credit: Mile in My Shoes Facebook pageJeff has become a running mentor. He loves to befriend runners who appear to be struggling and to run alongside them. I have heard many of Jeff’s stories about runners he has helped to finish a race as they were about to quit. He is kind, patient, and endlessly funny and sweet, particularly with people who want to finish a race but seem physically spent.
One of the great delights of getting to know Jeff was letting him know things about the neighborhood. When I was a board member of the DMNA, Jeff asked endless questions, came to many meetings, and asked Jacob Frey numerous questions about the Third Ward. Jeff’s keen insights and political acumen make him invaluable as a neighbor and community member.
Why write about Jeff? Dave Tinjum asked me to profile some of the neighborhood’s most interesting people, and Jeff was the first person that came to mind. He exemplifies this neighborhood; intelligent, funny, and unique. Jeff lives his own journey, with great capacity for happiness in a life that hasn’t always been easy.
Part of the routine of Mile In My Shoes is to begin and end every run with hugs. Jeff was clear that he wasn’t a hugger, but I assured him he would get used to it. During his first marathon, a friend and I were waiting at mile 9 to cheer him on, and when he saw us, he turned around and ran back to us while we screamed, “No, no, keep going!” Jeff simply said, "Hey, look, I'm not gonna’ qualify for Boston anyway! If I can't take a minute to hug two of my good friends who came out to see me, what's the point of even doing this??"
Claudia can be reached at claudia@millcitymedia.org
Friday, February 17, 2017 at 5:31AM
