Column: Hamer set example for Lyon County

Mason Valley and Lyon County lost a very special citizen with the passing of Maryanna Hamer. Many of us lost a treasured friend.

To my regret, I did not make the time to see Maryanna often enough the past few years. Instead of calling and arranging a lunch or golf date prior to my heading to Yerington for another meeting, I would procrastinate until it was too late and then tell myself I would definitely call before my next trip into town.

Besides, I knew I would have the opportunity to catch up with Maryanna at the next UNR football game.

It was not meant to be.

I so admired her professional and personal integrity. Conscientious to a " T," she served as a role model for me in her service as a county planning commissioner and county commissioner.

As a public official, Maryanna played by the rules of law, not the rules of popularity. She told it like it was, not like she, or others, wished it could be. Her judgments were thoughtful, not emotional, arrived at after thorough study and consideration.

She found out these decisions were not always politically expedient. However, Maryanna proved she had a most important of personal qualities - the strength of her own convictions.

Being a rather openly emotional person myself, I admired her ability to remain outwardly calm and logical in confrontational, often heated, situations. That is not to say, however, that she didn't have a temper.

Woe be to the fellow commissioner or citizen who had the audacity to publicly question Maryanna's veracity or ethical standards. I remember the first time I observed her flying out of her commissioner's chair, red faced and voice rising, as she responded to such a challenge. I had never seen her so upset.

I chuckle at the memory now, but the message she conveyed that day - that she would, under no circumstances, accept false accusations to her personal integrity without issuing a challenge of her own - made a lasting impression on me.

While serious about her work, Maryanna had the ability to verbally express the light or humorous side of difficult situations. She also had a talent for explaining complex issues in understandable terms. She loved to laugh.

Maryanna Hamer served this county well, setting a standard as an elected official that far too few are willing to emulate.

She loved her ranch, golf and UNR football games. But first and foremost, she loved her family. They always came first. Though a very private person by nature, her devotion to them was evident to all who knew her. Her beloved son, daughter-in-law and grandchildren have been deprived too soon of a unique and wonderful role model.

So have the rest of us.

Dayton High School students have also lost an exceptional and positive role model.

Jeanne Utterback, after 14 years at the school, resigned this summer to pursue other interests.

Jeanne was a teacher, not only in the classroom, but on the playing fields as well. I think she enjoyed impressing upon her charges the positive lessons of life as much as she enjoyed coaching a winning team or creating another successful project for her Spanish classes.

Not that she did not want to win, mind you. The fact is, she hated to lose as much as anyone, especially when she knew her team was better than their opponent. And she did not condone players or students not giving their best effort. However, no matter how disappointed she might be in how her team played or student performed, she always found a positive word to say. No student was ever belittled or embarrassed in front of others. Constructive criticism with a positive attitude was her motivational tool.

She lived and spread that philosophy with a passion. She made it fun to learn and to compete.

Four division softball championships and successful volleyball and basketball teams attest to her coaching abilities. Her long-time service as the school's athletic director attests to her leadership qualities and organizational skills.

A coach sets by example the emotional tone of a team. A teacher, by example , establishes the learning environment within the classroom. Jeanne was successful at setting a high standard in each. Her integrity and dedication were unquestioned.

Demonstrating her philosophy that academics and sportsmanship go hand in hand with athletic success, she played an important role in helping to establish guidelines for a new state high school award recognizing the top athlete/citizen/student in each division.

Jeanne was a strong advocate for equity in women's interscholastic sports and was instrumental in establishing the state's Women's Day in Sports program. Her Spanish classes were innovative and stimulating.

There are many good educators in this state. Jeanne was one of the best.

As a parent of two of her former students, as a long time coaching associate and as a friend, I wish she were still at Dayton High School.

Think about it.