2005 President's Award: Eleanor Mayfield

by 2004-05 Chapter President Susan Tamborini

I am presenting this award in absentia as Eleanor has now moved to AMWA’s Ohio Valley Chapter. We were very sad to see her go.

While Eleanor was a member of AMWA’s Mid Atlantic Chapter, she gave generously of her time and considerable talents and experience. She served as Chapter President from May 1999 to April 2001. She was editor of the Quill from Winter 2002 to Spring 2004. We keep these issues on the web site.

Eleanor also served in official and unofficial capacities on the Board of Directors from at least May 1999 when she became president through early 2004. And these contributions are just what we relatively new members can recall or document about her generosity.

Aside from her official duties, Eleanor provided a unique store of knowledge and guidance to our chapter. She helped us learn to do new things as freshly joined members and in-experienced leadership. These lessons included developing guidelines and standard practices, maintaining a list of past events and their successes, and deciding on the caterer’s head count so we wouldn’t end up with buckets of food. (I think we need to revisit that last one, since we’ve been feeding lots of building staff lately!)

In her role as unofficial historian, Eleanor also kept us from reinventing the wheel, provided needed continuity and maturity, helped us get organized, and reinvigorated chapter interest. We will always remember Eleanor fondly. We hadn’t instituted the annual awards process while she was still a member. However, due to her unfailing contributions, we are still here—a vibrant chapter ready to take on the challenges of the future.