Marlys M. Styne
Wright College, Illinois

I joined what was then MRC in 1986 when I first saw a conference proposal form listing a session on computers in teaching.  I was one of Wright College's pioneers in classroom computer use, and I immediately submitted my presentation "Poems by Computer: Introducing Poetry in a High-Tech Society," which I had previously delivered at a City Colleges of Chicago "Future of Literature" conference. My submission was accepted, and I joined MRC.

I don't remember much from the earlier years, except that the weather was a big problem when our meetings were scheduled in the winter. I remember being snowed in in a hotel parking lot one year; it may have been in Springfield, but I'm not sure of the place or the year. I also remember being cold one year because I didn't bring a heavy-enough coat (you'd think someone from Chicago would know better).

From 1990 to 1993, I served on the MRC Executive Board as treasurer. I continued to give conference presentations often, but my participation decreased as I became busier and busier as English Department chair at Wright. I designed the conference program a few years ago when the TYCA meeting was held in Chicago with Jane Wagoner as chair, but otherwise I have not had any contact with the organization. I retired from Wright in 1999, and now live at The Clare, a high-rise senior community on Chicago's Gold Coast, where I have a 35th-floor view of Lake Michigan. I am 78 years old, but in reasonably good health except for some mobility issues: two knee replacements and a broken pelvis. I have traveled to all seven continents, some of them since my husband's death in 2000, but my travel days are probably over. I currently edit The Clarion, resident newsletter of my senior community.

I enjoyed participating in MRC because it got me out into the larger world of the profession. Perhaps my greatest contribution was getting my younger friend Jane Wagoner involved with the organization; her dedication and years of service are well known.