One of mine and Suni’s favorite people on this earth is Mary Berdo. Suni and I have each been Mary’s roommate, albeit at different times. She is responsible for Suni and me getting together back in 2000. I really got to know Mary in the summer of 2000, when I was living with Travis Carlson and her in Iowa City, broke and waiting to get into law school. The next fall, when Mary was playing basketball at Iowa, Suni and I went to watch her play twice on the east coast – at Mt. St. Mary’s and at George Washington in D.C. The girl had better long distance range than AT&T. I got to know my future wife during travels in and around Washington, Gettysburg, and Eastern Shore of Maryland. Those are fond memories.
Berdo is one of those rare individuals that attract people effortlessly through the sheer magnitude of her personality. I don’t even remember when I first met her because I feel as though I have known her forever. And I’m sure everyone else who knows her feels the same way.
Mary never talks about herself, which is why it wasn’t surprising that I learned more about her background from this New York Times piece about her family than I ever learned from talking to her. The article was written and published around the time I met Mary, I believe, but she never mentioned that one of the most famous newspapers in the world was doing a piece on her Iowa farming family. I stumbled upon this story this morning while doing some research. I’ve never met her family, but I sure would like to.
Mary, if you read this, we miss you.
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