FI MessiahLifeways UnscriptedMagazine Fall2024 - Flipbook - Page 24
“ I've had a life far
beyond anything
I could have ever
dreamt of.”
“I traveled around the country meeting with producers
to learn what children’s content was upcoming in
the next year or two, and I got to know all kinds of
fascinating people, including Fred Rogers,” Jeffrey
said. “He was interested in masks from an early
childhood development perspective—the fact that
there are real people behind masks. And knowing
my background as a clown, when he was working
on developing a themed episode (Episode 1,584)
on masks, he actually invited me on to play my
character Chuckles the Clown.”
After PBS, Jeffrey transitioned into theater work,
ultimately landing locally at Gettysburg College’s
Majestic Theater in the early 2000s where he
led the theater’s $16.5 million renovation and
programmed more than 300 live performances
by professional artists during his run as the
founding Executive Director.
“Television was wonderful, but there was no live
interaction with your audience. It was more distant,”
he said. “But to operate a theater where you're
doing the programming—you're booking the films and
coordinating the concerts—you immediately see how
you’re impacting people's lives. You experience the
joy and energy firsthand."
After 52 years of full-time employment, 20 of which
were filled with fulfilling yet fatiguingly long days in
the famed Civil War town, he knew it was time for the
are good to people, it's amazing what can happen.
final curtain call.
Often, you’ll end up just where you’re meant to be.”
“I've had a life far beyond anything I could have ever
This next act of life, Jeffrey plans to prioritize
dreamt of when I was 19 years old and joined the
health and spirituality, nurture his friendships across
circus,” said Jeffrey, who retired in 2024 and moved
America, finish each book found on his shelves’ large
to Messiah Village. “If you know what's in your heart,
assemblage, spend time with his brother, Alan, who
and you want to help people, and you work hard and
also calls our campus home, lean into leisure, and
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