MARY ELIZABETH HULL
A Memorial Statement
The Saratoga Lake Sailing Club has been incredibly blessed with a phenomenon that simply stated says, “Whenever there has been a crisis of any proportion, some member, somehow, someway, would rise to the occasion.” But, we never had anyone who rose to every occasion. That is, until Mary Elizabeth Hull arrived.
It was 1976 when Mary Elizabeth and John joined the club. They had an old Snipe which was not considered a dominant fleet at the time. However, they did not stay on the fringe of society long, because the general friendliness and sociability of the members showed them they had found a home—no matter what boat they sailed. Before long, Mary Elizabeth had been asked to crew in some of the more popular classes, and a major facet of her life had been formed.
Being the person she was, she quickly became a member of the “in” group. At SLSC, the “in” group is defined as someone who volunteers to do a job without being asked.
Such talent and enthusiasm had to be used, and Mary Elizabeth became Social Chair, followed by Membership Chair and Flag Lt. House which placed her on the Executive Committee. Very quickly, she was elected to Rear Commodore, Vice Commodore and Commodore in the years 1980, 1981, and 1982, respectively. After flag office, true to form, she stayed on as Membership Chair.
Mary Elizabeth was the friendly face that greeted new members with warm hospitality. She was also an excellent executive who knew how to get things done. To this end, she was even pushy at times, but with such charm, the recipients rarely knew they were being pushed.
There are a host of words that describe Mary Elizabeth: friendly, enthusiastic, beautiful, hard working, effective, super crew, loving and vital. However, to me, the definitive word describing Mary Elizabeth is “vibrant.” Everything she did or said was infused with an inner energy that radiated her personal warmth.
A good friend has now left us, and we will miss her.
Randall H. Rice, Historian 1991