Sister Rose Ann Fleming ’50, SNDdeN, former Executive Head of The Summit, recalls a telephone conversation she had with Mary about the program. “I could tell from her voice how excited she was to implement the program. Mary invited me to a dinner held in Saint Cecilia Hall where the program was to be described to Summit parents. I arrived to find the hall filled with Summit parents eager to hear about what would be provided for their children by the Summit faculty under Mary’s leadership.” Involving all members of The Summit community is paramount to Mary’s leadership style. Mr. Richard K. Davis, former Summit parent and 20002002 Chairman of The Summit Board of Trustees, clearly attests to Mary’s leadership skills: “You are the perfect leader and role model for your passionate development of CREDO, and I am very proud of you and very honored to know you.”
the Foss and Brinkmeyer families, the Amelia Hamberg Foss ’24 Upper School Scholarship honors a student whose actions reflect the CREDO message. The essence of Mary is CREDO. As observed by Sister Elizabeth Marie Bowyer, SNDdeN, former Provincial of the Ohio province of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, “CREDO is a total experience of Catholic education. It touches everyone in the school and it creates a whole atmosphere. It is the heart’s response to valued behavior, and Mary was able to develop and design CREDO so that it was a holistic Catholic education because of her background at The Summit and at Trinity Washington University.” These insights give the dimensions for the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur’s selection of Mary as their 2007 recipient of the Educating for Life Award. Dr. Patricia McGuire, President of Trinity Washington University, further defines Mary’s “educational leadership” as “[having] ensured the centrality of Notre Dame values through these years, emphasizing character education and the importance of caring for each individual student.”
The efficacy of the program, which Mary continually analyzes and assesses, is highlighted through the CREDO publications. The 2008 fall semester edition captures Mary’s vision of what this program could achieve and what, ultimately, it has achieved. Meaningful liturgical celebrations, empowering initiative projects within and across all divisions of the school, and the selection of this year’s theme, “Justice and Peace,” fuel Mary’s belief that “CREDO is not a curriculum. It is a lifestyle.” Sister Ann Carolyn Blackburn, SNDdeN, recalling a visit to The Summit, verifies the visible effects of Mary’s belief. “I saw it in the students. The students were so very polite and happy. It had to come from the CREDO program. They wanted to share; it was spontaneous.” Fittingly, and symbolically appropriate for
Mary Foss Brinkmeyer’s devotion to The Summit’s mission is a reality. As affirmed by Mr. Jerry Jellig, Head of School, “Mary has loved the school fully and lived our mission completely. She has been our memory and conscience.” Mary’s legacy is the treasured trust she has kept. Mary is pictured at left in her office with this year’s Foss scholar, Tommy Kreyenhagen.
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