Anyone who has worked or studied at NEOMED over the past three decades has likely crossed paths with Mary Sherman. The administrative coordinator in the Department of Family and Community Medicine was among the more than 50 employees recognized during the faculty and staff recognition program on Friday, March 10.
With 35 years of service to the University, The Pulse figured it was about time to get to know her!
Sherman recently shared information about her current role and how the University has changed – and stayed the same – since she joined the staff of the College of Medicine.
Please briefly describe your role at NEOMED.
I support nine faculty members, the national William Carlos Williams Poetry Competition, four Pathway Programs, the Leroy Rodgers research program and coordination of PBLI [Practice Based Learning and Improvement] in the family medicine clerkship. I also provide support to the chair of the Department of Internal Medicine. I also coordinate clinical partnership workshops such as ALSO (Advanced Life Support in Obstetrics) and the annual Scholarship Day (comprised of the Departments of Family and Community Medicine, Psychiatry, Internal Medicine and Pediatrics).
Where did you work before coming to NEOMED? Doing what?
I worked at the Alliance Machine Company as a secretary in the Service Department for 15 years. We built cranes for the steel industry, and I typed proposals for crane repairs. U.S. Steel required one original and four copies of each proposal, plus one for each salesman and one for the file. That means I was typing with 6 to 7 pcs of carbon paper.
How many folks now know what a carbon copy is?
What led you to NEOMED?
The steel industry began to decline, and I decided it was time to look for a new position.
Any memories from your first days or weeks at NEOMED?
I honestly can’t remember the first few weeks, but I have many funny memories with Joanne Fabick, Mary Shick, Julie Stier and the late Marelda Ward, but we’ll keep them to ourselves.
What has changed at the University the most since you joined NEOMED?
The size. With the addition of the College of Pharmacy, College of Graduate Studies, BIO-MED, NEW Center doctors’ offices [NEOMED Health Care] and now the dental school.
What has changed the least?
The dedication of the employees.
How has your role changed over the last 35 years?
Technology has given us the opportunity to do so much more.
I’m able to do twice as much work now with email, texting and ZOOM meetings. It really is amazing. When I first started, we would send out thousands of brochures via bulk mail for our conferences, now we just send a pdf via email, and post on websites.
What is your favorite NEOMED tradition? Why? When did it start? How has it changed over the years?
Holiday Brunch. I’ve always enjoyed the holidays and this event just starts everything off. Not sure [when it started], I think I attended the first year I started.
Where did you grow up?
I grew up in Marlboro Township, Louisville, Ohio. A wonderful rural community with lots of farms and fields of corn, soybeans, oats and wheat. We would play “hide-n-seek” in those fields.
Where do you live now?
In Marlboro Township! My husband and I purchased 5 acres and built a house. We literally built it from the basement up with the help of our parents, brothers, sisters and friends. It took us a year to complete, and we moved in in 1979.
What favorite book or TV show have you been recommending lately? Why?
“Azerbijian Cooking” on YouTube. It’s simply a woman who lives in Azerbijian, her name is Kənd Həyati, she does all her cooking outside over a wood fire. There is no talking. You hear the knife slicing the vegetables, the pounding of a meat cleaver as she turns beef into hamburger. And all the time Kənd is cooking, there are farm animals roaming around. The cats play with the rabbits; the dogs don’t try to kill the chickens. There are cows, sheep, geese, ducks, and turkeys always nearby while she is cooking, trying to steal a bite! It is really relaxing.
What movie have you seen more than three times? What keeps you going back?
Top Gun Maverick. The aerial stunts of the fighter jets are simply awesome.
You’ve been invited to a potluck. What’s your go-to dish? Why?
Lasagna. My children think I make the best lasagna.
What do you do better than anyone you know?
Call Bingo. Really, I’ve been a Bingo caller at my church for over 35 years. The players tell me I’m their favorite.
When you were a child, what did you want to be when you grew up? If you didn’t do that, what made you change your mind?
After eight years of Catholic schools, I wanted to be a nun. My mom insisted I attend a year of public high school before I made that decision. When I walked into the high school the first day of my freshman year, and saw all the students, that idea went right out of my head!
You’ve been handed a plane ticket to anywhere in the world. Where are you going? Why?
Reykjavik, Iceland. I read about Reykjavik in Red Storm Rising, a Tom Clancy novel. I always thought it would be a really great place to visit.
What’s the latest thing you crossed off your ‘bucket list’?
A family vacation to Grand Tetons and Yellowstone National Park, June 23, 2022.