The Atlanta Lawyer January/February 2013 | Page 19

farewell Mary Lynne Has Left the Building By Mary Lynne McInnis Atlanta Bar Association, Retired [email protected] To Infinity and Beyond! --Buzz Lightyear It’s a magical world, Hobbes, ol’ buddy… let’s go exploring. --Calvin I f any of you had known that two of the guiding principles of my life as your CLE Director were spoken by a toy space man and a comic strip character, I might not have lasted 26+ years at the Atlanta Bar Association. But I did last, and now my CLE career has come to an end. Twenty-six years…My first day at the Atlanta Bar saw me sitting in front of an enormous Wang word processor, swapping out 5½-inch floppy disks as I went through a day’s work. Couriers were the fastest way to deliver documents around town, and it was the phone that demanded most of my attention, not emails. rescue, offered encouragement and gentle criticism. You shared your enthusiasms and must-sees, -reads, and -do’s. You saw me as a person. It is all a gift beyond measure. I know when I look back at my Bar career, there will be specific seminars that will stick in my mind, and the related funnies and problems and how-on-earth-did-we-pull-THATone-off memories. What will really stay with me, though, is you. In the Bar world, it is relationships that make all things possible. Together we saw what could be. We explored new opportunities, met stiff challenges, and saw Atlanta Bar CLE grow into a nationally respected and award-winning program. You will be my fondest memory of all. Diane O’Steen, Executive Director (1965-2013) Mary Lynne McInnis, CLE Director (1986-2013) Despite having an uncle who had been a judge in Fulton Superior Court and a brother and sister-in-law who were both attorneys, I had no idea what CLE was until the spring of 1986 when I interviewed for the brand new full-time CLE position at the Atlanta Bar. Yet they hired me anyway. June 9, 1986 was the start of a brand new life. Thanks to two complex seminars that were presented in September 1986 and, most importantly, to a CLE Committee chair and two seminar chairmen who were the first of many who raised me in the Bar, I quickly learned what CLE was. Thank you, Terry Walsh, Bob Fierer and Terrence Croft for getting me off to a good start. The other key person was and is Diane O’Steen, who supported my professional development and encouraged me to grow the Bar’s CLE program. The Atlanta Bar and CLE will soon be in my past, but never out of mind and heart. In June 1986, I stepped into a magical world of infinite possibility and explored it with you. Now, a husband, four dogs and two horses are waiting for me “to come home from the Bar” and explore the new magical world that awaits us. We will do that with gusto. Thank you. Thank you very much. ■ With much love, respect and gratitude, There are so many of you who have worked with me over the years. You volunteered as speakers, program chairs, and CLE Board members. You answered questions, came to the The Official News Publication of the Atlanta Bar Association January/February 2013 THE ATLANTA LAWYER 19