Remarks by By Chris Reilly
WEST HARTFORD – One Park Apartment Homes Dedication – October 24, 2023
Some of you may be surprised to hear this, but I actually read a recent article in
the New York Times. The title is “Want to believe in yourself? Mattering is Key”
By Gail Cornwall.
The core message of the article is that a sense of mattering is necessary for
human flourishing. Mattering is difficult to define since it is subjective and all
wrapped up in a person’s own sense of self-esteem and self-worth, but isn’t as
simple as being a member of a group or a team, or the head of a family, or the
CEO of a company. The key is knowing in your heart that you are essential to
that group or team. Like, if you were unable to attend a meeting or a practice,
would people miss you, and would you know that they missed you? Knowing
that there are people who wish you were around, and who let you know that you
make things better when you are around, is at the heart of mattering.
Marty Kenny mattered.
We are all here today to acknowledge and celebrate his crowning professional achievement. Marty had the soul of an artist. He appreciated music and good writing in a way that only one who felt deeply could and he chose to share his passion. If you were lucky enough to have mentioned even a mild interest in music you were treated to a Spotify playlist curated by Marty at different times throughout the year. He brought his passions to his work as a developer, Marty sweated the details. He did so by trying to look at a project through a sense of community. What would a building mean to its communities: its community of place and its community of people?
Being a developer is not easy. As an artist is required to bring forth something
from nothing and make reality of a vision that may not be immediately shared or
even understood, Marty worked years to bring his signature One Park vision to
life.
As I said, being missed is important to the sense of mattering. Marty is truly
missed, but his vision lives on in completing and continuing his work.
I challenge you here today to spread mattering because in this increasingly
complicated world; at this moment, we are just so damn lucky to be surrounded
by the people who matter the most.
So, on behalf of the Lexington Partners, Laz Investments, InnoConn family, and
my friend and partner Marty Kenny. We thank you for sharing this special day
with us.