Ask any past or current Temple President: “Who runs the Temple?” If any answered anything other than Mary Schwartz they would be lying to you. If you asked any past or current President, “could you have been a successful president without the extensive help and institutional knowledge that Mary possesses” they would inevitably respond, “NO!”
I write this month’s newsletter letting the congregation know that Mary has decided to retire. Her announcement to the personnel committee came with surprise, happiness for her and her family as she embarks on this next chapter, sadness for the next President who will probably have to bribe her with cookies and Subway gift cards for as much as they will be calling her for background information on who knows what, trepidation as we now have to try to replace the irreplaceable, but mostly a feeling of true gratitude for all she has done for our congregation.
Mary first started working for our congregation in approximately 1973 as a teacher in our school. A couple of years into the job she was asked to be the principal and held that position until roughly 1983. In about 1983 Esca Nickelson, the office administrator at the time, retired. As the Temple struggled to replace her, Mary stepped in to help with our congregation’s finances. She remembers schleppling big black ledger books to and from home. She also remembers having the big black books brought to her while she was out recovering from back surgery. It was obvious that she immediately became an integral part of the workings of our congregation. Esca’s replacement did not work out and in short order Roger Beutner, president at that time, asked Mary if she wanted to take on in full the office administrator’s position. She said yes and 29 years later the rest, as they say, is history.
16 Temple Presidents have served under her: and as #16 I can testify to the fact that I am grateful to metaphorically work for her. During this time she also served as both Treasurer and Vice President to our Temple Sisterhood. To say the least she is a woman who has served our congregation to a standard that we can all aspire to.
Mary will remain in her position until the end of 2012. We have not even begun to process the “how” and “why” for her successor but rest assured it will be a tough act to follow. For right now I am just grateful that she is still at her post being that glue that keeps it all together.
