( Photo by Christopher Anderson/The Spokesman-Review )

Bob Downing, who ran a railroad and is now 95, was in our Civic Elder spotlight today.

Here’s an excerpt of some of his wisdom:

The greatest lifelong effect of the Depression? You didn’t buy things unless you had the money. I eventually got a credit card, but I always paid the balance every month. I still do.

A chief executive should not be too nervous now. This too shall end. I was in the Navy in the war. When you are changing course, the officer on the deck will tell the man steering, “Steady as you go.” I think that’s a good admonition in these tumultuous times.

We should all just calm down. The stock market won’t come back automatically. But in most of the rest of the country, except in the housing industry, things are going along pretty well. You’d think the world is coming to an end mainly because in New York City, it is.

As I interviewed Bob, I realized we have in our community many older people who lived through the Great Depression. Do you ever seek them out for wisdom? Blog lines are open.