We all have or had Moms. “Mommas” is a term which connotes a broader meaning to the idea of motherhood. It often encompasses women to whom we have no biological connection, but who have nurtured and led us in important ways. Those ladies should be recognized this Mother’s Day for their impact on our lives. Aside from our personal Mommas, there are some who have affected many of us who they never met. Not just the neighborhood Mom who is good for a Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich on a lazy summer day when we are goofing around with her natural child, although those blessed souls deserve our thanks as well.
I speak here about women who have given their love and strength to entire communities. Who have had a material and maternal impact on making Kansas City a great place to live and work.
Let’s start with Kay Waldo Barnes and Carol Marinovitch. They provided the compassion and guidance that made lasting impacts on the two Kansas Cities. They both guided us to important, ambitious, results from which others shied away.
Outside the political arena, women like Adele Hall, Miriam Kramer, Lucille Bluford, Shawsie Branton and Jeanette Nichols all deserve to list the Kansas City community among their surviving heirs. Their impact on our fair city cannot be overstated.
That tradition of service and leadership continues today with such great ladies as Peggy Dunn, Shirley Helzberg, Mamie Hughes, Roshann Parriss and Anita Gorman, to name a few. There are many others who deserve mention here, but the list must stop somewhere and each of these names serve to remind us of the great good work and good fortune that has befallen all of us at the capable hands of Mommas. The Papas weigh in somewhere on the spectrum of good works too, but these ladies work tirelessly for all of us.
THANKS, MOMMAS!
(Bob has been helping individual, business and estate planning clients since 1973. He is a champion of the firm’s team approach to help client resolve their matters as efficiently as possible.)
