Volunteer Spotlight: Paul Collen
Raise your hand if you know what a luthier is! I didn’t either.
Paul Collen began his interview with me by saying he was “terribly average and mundane as a kid and young adult.” Paul, I beg to differ. You wanted to be a luthier. That’s pretty unique! A luthier is a craftsperson who builds or repairs string instruments that have a neck and a sound box. The word comes from the French word for “lute.” In my book, that interest counts for being decidedly not “terribly average or mundane.”
Years ago, Steve and I were invited to Paul and his former wife, Anna’s home through the original SUMC Dinner for 8 group. Paul served up a delicious poached salmon and later asked if we would like to see the harp he had recently finished making for Anna. Like Paul, Anna is an accomplished musician. After all these years I still remember that succulent salmon and the astonishingly beautiful, handmade harp. Paul lamented that the hobby he had aspired to, while building the harp was a joy, aspirations of becoming a luthier is not the hobby for him.
Born in Albany, New York, Paul grew up in Bethlehem, New York, and later worked in the Albany Savings Bank. While pursuing a Computer Science degree he was spotted by a wise HR person who suggested he take a logic test. He did so well on the test, that his career change to a computer programmer happened almost instantly. After only one interview with Western Mass Computer Company in Holyoke, Massachusetts the company asked, “Can you start tomorrow?”
Now approaching 40 years and pending retirement with COCC, (Connecticut Online Computer Center in Avon, which had merged with WMCC years ago), Paul has enjoyed a successful career in a fast-moving and ever-changing field. Spanning 6 languages and 3 operating systems, he plans to follow the long-ago advice of his grandmother who said, “Learn all you can as soon as you can to be able to mentor others.” He will teach his craft to the younger generation before he steps out of the office for the last time.
Technology expertise has always come easy to Paul. He was instrumental in facilitating the building of our new A/V system as well as a system in his former church. You will find him many Sundays in the sacristy where he ‘plays’ the audio-visual production equipment that displays Kari, Pastor Gene, and Deacon Deb on the Sanctuary monitors and livestreams the service to our virtual congregation.
SUM is a better place for having Paul in our midst. He is omnipresent in his willingness to help wherever needed. If you don’t know Paul but would like to, he is easy to find (probably working on some church project!).
My husband and I got to know Paul on our three mission trips to Biloxi. The familiar and much-loved hymn, “Here I Am Lord” became the theme song of the first group to go to Biloxi in 2007. The words continue to fit Paul perfectly, “Here I am Lord, it is I, Lord, I have heard you calling in the night. I will go Lord, where you need me…” This hymn was so powerful for all of us on that trip, I asked Paul to sing it at my husband’s funeral service in 2018. He would admit that, while he did sing it, his knees were trembling! He sang beautifully for Steve and brought tears to many eyes.
Paul came to Simsbury in 1996, joined the Chancel Choir that year and the church the following year. Much to Paul’s surprise, Tom Lang asked him to substitute one Sunday in the bell choir and he is still ringing, many years later.
Twin daughters, Patty and Kimberly and son Nick were familiar SUMC children and young adults as they grew up in our church. Nick still lives in Connecticut with his college sweetheart wife, Meghan. Patty and Kim moved to South Carolina. Kim’s wife Kayt is expecting a baby, which is due in December, and will move Paul into that revered Grandpa Zone!
While Steve and I were getting to know Paul in Biloxi so was Dorrie deNagy, also a long-time familiar face at SUMC. Dorrie and Paul have become cherished life partners, marveling at the many things they found they had in common. Most unusual was discovering that Don deNagy, Dorrie’s father, and Paul grew up in the same town, on the same street, went to the same school, and had the same 7th-grade teacher, 30 years apart!
Karen Matheson