Tuesday, October 27, 2015
Mary Lynn became a friend through our work and times at national FBLA-Phi Beta Lambda activities. I was in DC at a national meeting of state advisers when the New Jersey participant told me she had gotten the call about her passing. A few months ago, I thought her positive attitude and willingness to try whatever doctors recommended would result in improvement, but that was not to be this time. As I drove back to North Carolina Sunday, I remembered many of the good times we had shared through the years. In the early 1990s she and I were both advisers to national officers from our chapters. At a training session for them on business etiquette, the extremely "prim & proper" presenter moved from some very useful areas to the comment "Now I'm going to share with you when and where it is appropriate to wear pearls." Of course, you can just imagine the look on Mary Lynn's face and the comments she made! For all these years, our final remark when we talked would be "and don't forget when and where. . . ." The energy and dedication she gave to our organization has touched the lives of many high school and college students, as well as advisers -- both in New Jersey and throughout the country. She never hesitated to speak on an issue, and those comments were grounded in thinking about what would be best for students. My thoughts go to those who took care of her during her illness, to Nancy and all the New Jersey FBLA-PBL folks who have lost such a supporter, and to friends across the country who are remembering, in addition to serious times, the trolly rides through the New Orleans garden district, the numerous pieces of pie at that special restaurant in Anaheim, the side trips to the EXORCIST steps in Georgetown, and, well, that list could go on and on since we all have our Mary Lynn stories. As all those others, I wish I were close enough to attend the services. Jim said she had requested he read scriptures. I hope he knows she probably meant passages from the Bible and the FBLA-PBL Handbook!! At the funerals of Terry Lowrance and Bob Simmons, two NCPBL advisers who were good friends of Mary Lynn's, we concluded our PBL eulogies with the closing of our Creed: "I pledge to do my best to make the world a better place for everyone." As we said with both of them, we can agree Mary Lynn indeed fulfilled those words. We will miss her, and I will definitely think of her whenever I see someone wearing pearls!!!!! Dan Hazlett on behalf of her North Carolina Phi Beta Lambda friends January 13, 2015
