July 11, 2010

Too many years later

When I was starting a new assignment as City Hall reporter for WCOL-AM-FM in Columbus, OH, I figuratively kissed the ring of Mary Carran Webster, a skinny, blonde and uninhibited ferret for incompetence and corruption in municipal government as the city hall reporter for WOSU. Mary has put on 4o pounds in the 25 plus years since I've seen her, and so have I! But she is still the spunky woman I knew then.
She left WOSU, became an editor for Business First, and here comes the next big story: She was run down by a beer truck in a crosswalk. Broke her hip in a few places and she sued to be made whole. Despite a jury not permitted to know she was suing a huge beer distributor and not the tiny figure they had driving for them, she got one of the largest, if not the largest, award for that kind of case in Franklin Co. Ohio.
Mary had a dry goods stall in the market at Short North for many years while editing and most recently worked as press secretary for Mayor Michael D. Coleman. Then she retired to Chagrin Falls to be closer to her 89 year old mother, who spends 7 months a year in the Bahamas, leaving Mary with community work to do. So she says she'll pick me up at the airport when I come back and be my chauffeur! Nice going, Mary!
So we talked like we never talked before, me feeling pretty good after meeting with my US accountant in Mayfield, killing time with a mimosa before lunch at Alaldin's on SOM Center Rd. My Verizon cell phone wasn't working so she called Aladin's to see if I was there. Then Felipe called to set up lunch for the next day: He knew I was having lunch at Aladin's. Aladin's soon knew who I was!
Mary thought it quite a coincidence that her brother is a New England neurologist who has been looking for a cure for MS. But he is tired of living grant-to-grant and looking to join a large practice down the Altantic coast. Mary, let me know if he does find a cure because I suspect that even though he'll have a day job with a group, he'll continue his lab work!
Hugs to you Mary, even though we both aren't very demonstrative women. But YTB!

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