The ATA said goodbye last night to one of our hardest working and most dedicated board members – Ms. Mary Emerson.
Emerson joined the sister-city alliance in 2005 and immediately volunteered to help organize responsibilities in the Education and Culture Committee. She was instrumental in arranging our annual ATA Essay Contest in which high school students from the Capital Region and Russia are given the opportunity to submit competitive essays at the chance of winning a free visit to each others homeland.
Several times a year, Emerson was also willing to share her home with dozens of Russian strangers providing them with private bedrooms, bathrooms, transportation and even homemade cuisine. Her generosity proved to be one of her most admirable traits.
In September, Emerson traveled for a 4th time to Tula, Russia acting as a chaperone and ATA representative for two local Essay Contest winners. She is seen and heard in the Part 1 Trip Montage that ATA board member, Sonja Stark of PilotGirl Productions, shot and edited.
