So, my first partner, Mary was my friend for a long time before we were romantically involved … the friendship lasted much longer than the relationship. We met our first semester freshman year, at Texas A&M, in canoeing class. She signed up for it first, and couldn’t wait. It was my very last choice ‘gym’ option and I was dreading it. Whatever else we may have learned that semester (don’t rely on me to tie your knots expertly), we learned how to be each other’s friend.

We’re the same height, and we loved wandering around the Botanical Gardens in DC …

She was just one dorm away from me, and neither of us were very close to our new roommates. We would meet at the dining hall and exult in our many food choices, spending way too much time at the cereal bar for every meal of the day. We met mutual friends, and introduced them to each other and gradually grew our circle.

Mary was so outdoorsy, and so smart, and so unassuming, that we all just kind of hung together perfectly. She is easy to talk to, and funny, and humble is just the only way she rolls. So, at one point, late in our sophomore year, we were all (five of us?) gathered in Mary’s dorm room. I was proud that I always kept a 3.25 GPA, so I could stay in honors classes (I honestly didn’t even learn what all the laudes meant until my friend Erin earned one a year ahead of my graduation). I said, “how are the rest of you doing?”

Julie shared that she was brilliant (ha! Julie would NEVER say she was brilliant, but she is and was), Kim said she did well in some classes and not in others, Lynn shared her grades, and then Mary finally, quietly, said, “well, I think I managed to get all As again.” And we were like, “All As? Again?” and she bashfully and blushingly admitted that she had a 4.0, a grade point average SHE MAINTAINED UNTIL HER GRADUATION.

I’m still in awe. Smart! Funny! Always able to take time out for a camping trip, a talk, a jog around campus, and still able to maintain a PERFECT GPA. I’m still yelling about it. And so quiet! If I had ever achieved a 4.0, even for one semester, I’m pretty sure I would still be talking about it with someone at least once a day.

She was a great friend to me for many years, and a wonderful partner, too. I’m so glad I met her; it was the best outcome I could imagine from that dreaded canoeing class. Thanks, Mary, for being such a guiding light and hero to me.