Hank Mann-Sykes, and men like him, whether they know it or not, are old school.

This isn’t to say these men are obsolete, to the contrary.

Mann-Sykes is from a generation when men didn’t measure themselves with violence, with their willingness to degrade women or with their ability to buy an extravagant life for their families.

Being a man, above all else, meant being useful.

They came of age when you faced your friends, rather than have friends on Facebook. They belonged to bowling leagues and softball leagues, what did they need with fantasy football? Now they volunteer for councils, committees and (ahem) read the local newspaper.

What they believe isn’t captured in the cliché, “giving back.” They might use a more humble cliché, “doing their part.”

The world our prior generations created was more imperfect than not, and men of esteem contributed much to American prejudice and cronyism. In some parts of the country, after all, the Ku Klux Klan used to be a who’s who of the civic elite.

But the core idea, judging ourselves by what we contribute, can be a positive force. It can motivate people to build strong schools, safe streets and promote that other cliché tossed around, “community.”

Our world has changed, and public life in ways is less restrictive for people traditionally excluded than ever before.

The problem is, Mann-Sykes and his type, the people who see a need and fill it, aren’t arriving at the same pace that they are leaving.