When I began attending meetings of the Boulder Genealogical Society, I didn’t know what I was doing. I had only really began researching my family history a few months before but I knew that I needed help and guidance in order for my research to be effective. So when I found the Boulder Genealogical Society, I was elated. Upon meeting Birdie, she almost immediately took me under her wing,very quickly became my mentor and friend.
After meeting with Birdie a few times to work on various projects, I really felt like I was the center of her attention. She wanted to know what I was working on, was quick to give me tips on how to get through some brick walls and was always, even at the end, sharing her discoveries in technology and the internet. One day, when we were looking at some of my research, I was sharing with Birdie my love of obituaries, showing her how many I had collected and we were discussing them in detail. Her words would change my genealogical life forever: “You should do a program on this. You can do that.” From that simple statement was born the program “An Obituary Obsession”, which to this day is one of my most popular programs with genealogical societies in the area. I had never even thought about being a speaker until Birdie mentioned it. It was almost as if she had given me permission to see a door that had opened up for me.
We worked on many projects together. Some of the most fun and productive times we had were those spent editing the Quarterly together. She and I would meet, most of the time at Buffalo Wild Wings in Longmont, not only because we both liked the food, but because they stayed open until 2 am. We were often there until after midnight, not only proofreading and editing, but also sharing research breakthroughs and ideas, and of course Birdie would show me some new gadget or website that she thought would be very useful for genealogy. We would sometimes have lengthy discussions over the proper use of a comma, or the proper placement of quotes, over definitions of words and if we’d used the right one. She taught me the difference between a dash, an en-dash and an em-dash. (And if you don’t know what they are, she taught me to use the Chicago Manual of Style to find out.)
Birdie truly cared about the Boulder Genealogical Society. I know when she was busy and couldn’t make a board meeting, she would give me strict instructions to bring up certain points on a topic up for discussion, or to begin new discussions. She wanted to be involved in many of our committees and projects. She taught me how to look at the bylaws and standing rules and assess them for needed changes. She taught me about parliamentary procedure. She made boring things fun and important at the same time.
My personal story about Birdie’s influence is not unique. On Birdie’s FaceBook page and at her memorial service, I read and heard many other stories like mine. “Birdie convinced me I could speak.” “Birdie always shared the latest technology with me.” “I served on a Board with Birdie and she was serious and fun at the same time.” And yet Birdie made me, and many others like me, feel like the most important person in the room. She just had that way about her; always present and giving you her undivided attention.
Birdie’s illness and passing really got me thinking about how much I’ve learned from her and how important it is to be a mentor. She was a natural mentor and collaborator, always interested in what everyone had to say, what they were working on, how they were going about it. I don’t know how Birdie managed to stay on top of things and even ahead of the game when it came to everything she talked about. She always seemed to know about the newest, latest and greatest things before anyone else did. Hers is an example we should all strive to follow, from the way she presented herself in meetings to the way she interacted in personal conversations, from her seriousness to her humor.
The last time I saw Birdie I had the chance to learn one last thing: to say to the people you love the things you need to say. When Birdie came in to meet that last time, she gave me a big hug, told me she loved me and that she was glad I was able to come. Of course, we got online right away to look at a project she was working on. Oh Birdie, you will be forever missed and never forgotten.
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