If there’s anything that embodies Above & Beyond in service to the neighborhood it’s serving on the AWCC Board. I wanted to take some time to acknowledge the contributions of folks who are rolling off the AWCC Board. Their voices and experience will be missed even as we welcome new Board members with new perspectives. We won’t miss them too much, though, since we’ll still, hopefully, be hearing lots from them at the monthly membership meetings and in our “virtual” neighborhood.

Jim Wallace has a strict policy of no more than two years of being on the Board without a break, and I was lucky enough to get to work with him during an ON period as Housing and Planning chair. Housing & Planning is a huge job and we really relied on Jim’s encyclopedic knowledge of all the players and pieces in the Northside real estate game. He’s also a pro at keeping the AWCC Facebook page (and this website) stocked with an amazing array of historic photos and stories to keep us all inspired.

On the other hand, I’m not sure Mary Callison has had a break from the Board in over a decade. She managed everything from Property to Membership and lots of stuff in between. She’s also the architect and caretaker of the gorgeous parklet on the corner of Western and Brighton. Whenever the flowers there make you smile you can send a restful thought in Mary’s direction. She’s earned it.

Trish Burton jumped in and took over one of the most rigorous jobs in the neighborhood, Ways and Means, and the spectacular House and Wine tours were the result. She’s an important voice of calm and kindness during passionate debates as well, which I will miss even more than her lemon flavored treats.

Fran Barbush has been with the neighborhood from the very beginning (well not the 1860 beginning … more like the beginning of modern incarnation of Allegheny West as we know it). In between cranking out newsletter like clockwork, she’s always willing to step up and save a lampost (or 4) or hold a government official accountable for a “too easy” answer with the credibility of long experience to back it up.

I also want to acknowledge the willingness of current board members Gloria Rayman, John DeSantis and Anne Gilligan to take on new positions on the Board and Michael Shealey and Bob Griewahn to continue their excellent work in their current roles.