Ida Mae Ewbank

One of the most extraordinary women I've known has merged with the universe.  Ida Ewbank was a voracious reader with a keen business mind, easily able to reduce multiple pages of nine-point agate type legalese into real-world language, and similtaneously plan how to efficiently accomplish the task.  When Ida walked into the room, it became her room.  She had a naturally commanding presence and, when she cared to use it, The Voice to match.

I finagled a job interview many years ago, and was immediately impressed by her easy confidence.  At the conclusion of that interview, she said, "I have a person who works for me who is gay, and if you don't like that, you can't work here."  Knocked my socks off - way off.  That kind of blunt affirmation separated her from most people I know, and it was my first indicator of her astonishing loyalty to her people.

Through an uncharacteristic lapse in judgement, she hired me, and I became one of Ida's Girls.  Believe me, that's a real compliment.  No group I know of is better able to combine hard, mentally exhausting work with high hilarity than the Inverness gang.  Mass lunches, pool hall parties, and especially cocktail hours were the norm.  Who can ever forget the Ida Hip Hop Jig after her second shot of tequila?

My office was two doors down from Ida's, and her displeasure with inanity was sometimes not secret.  When in full voice, her "GET OUT!!!" would resound through the 'hood and everybody would think twice about going in with a question they could answer for themselves.

Ida's displeasure was not unknown to me.  Always unable to shake the Smart-Ass gene, I think I still hold the single session record for being flipped off with that immaculately manicured, impossibly long middle digit.

Ida was more careful with her clients' interests than with her own.  She cared more about the welfare of her employees than her own.  She was the most delightful amalgam of first-class business woman with a bawdy, enthusiastic confidant.  No one could know her and not love her.  I know I did and do.