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A tribute to Courtney E. Wallace

Good afternoon.

My name is Kent Barnds and since summer of 2012 I worked with Courtney. I want to acknowledge that many of you in attendance could be standing up here sharing memories with greater effect and depth than I. Please know that I am honored and humbled to share some time with you to reflect on the impact Courtney had on all of us in her brief time.

Earlier this summer, a dear college friend sent me an article from The Atlantic. The article by Deborah Copaken was called, “What I learned about life at my 30th College Reunion.” I’ve since learned that this piece has been floating around for a few years.

While there are lots of things that resonated (bad knees, happiness, unhappiness, music bringing back memories, broken relationships, rekindled relationships, satisfying careers, women faring better than the men after 30 years), better there was one thing in particular that I’ve been thinking about since and seems fitting for today.

Copaken wrote:

“We have all become far more generous with our I love you’s. They flew freely at the reunion. We don’t ration them out to only our intimates now, it seems; we have expanded our understanding of what love is, making room for long-lost friends.”

This stuck with me. And, my remarks today…and our presence here today…is because we all loved Courtney.
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My time was 7:30 a.m. every Tuesday morning. Angie Cooksy’s time was just about anytime she drove I-55. Megan O’Rourke’s time was the countless happy hours that Court always looked forward to..Mike Pettis’s time was every morning; even on the weekends.

I am sure many of you sitting here had your time with Courtney. It was a time we all looked forward to.

We knew it would be upbeat and joy-filled.

Courtney reserved time for her people. And, her people were many. In fact, following her death, we had difficulty locating photos of just Courtney precisely because she surrounded herself with her people

Courtney was the rare person who not only reserved time for her people, but she also made time for those who were important to her.

While it’s one thing to reserve time, it’s a completely different thing to make time for people. This was one of the things Courtney did. There were no interruptions!

She made time for people–known and even those who she just met. She made time.

And, she was fully present when she reserved or made time for others.

Her mother, Diane, shared with me that when Courtney returned home to Galva, she was fully present. She put her computer and devices away and they were a family.

We will all miss Courtney time. Her time was a gift to all of us.

Courtney was also fiercely independent (I was going to say stubbornly, but fiercely will do today).

Courtney’s parents shared that when she packed for college, she never looked back. That’s exactly who she was and how she lived. She lived looking forward to what was next. She did not live with regret or hold onto the past. She embraced each day by looking forward and with an assurance of an independent leader.

I think we all admired and appreciated her independence.

Courtney was incredibly committed to her work and she led selflessly. Courtney left every meeting–a one-on-one or a large group with a list of things she’d selflessly volunteered to do.

Now, for all of you who benefited from her selfless leadership, you do need to know that while 80% of that was Courtney volunteering and stepping into do something. But, the rest was because there’s a Courtney way to do things and sometimes she was just making sure things got done according to her vision.

You all know that, right? There was a Courtney way!!!

She was quite accomplished professionally. She’d be embarrassed and would demure at any praise of her achievements.

But, let’s be honest, she was a star among us and was deeply committed to her work, her people and the students she felt privileged to serve. She had an unmatched work ethic. She was an advocate for women in leadership and a champion for inclusion. She was a rock star.

Courtney was an extraordinary person and a dedicated admissions professional. She was a mentor to many and served in many different capacities in IACAC as well as at the national level for NACAC and of course CARR. Courtney and her crew set in motion effective college searches for thousands of Chicagoland students speaking about essays, letters of recommendations and the college search in general.

Courtney added a sparkle to everything she did.

Her gifts were many.
Her enthusiasm was infectious.
Her laugh contagious.
Her leadership empathetic and warm.
Her care for the students she served, unmatched.

Courtney did what many can only imagine doing and in a way that was imaginative, compassionate and creative. Courtney was a rock star. Courtney was a rock star!

In the days since Courtney died, many have written about what a gift it was to know Courtney. I agree.

Yet, I think it is important that we think of her presence and impact in our life as more than just a gift.

I invite us all to think of her impact as a treasure. And I really think we should all be thinking right now about how we might share that treasure with others.

My challenge to us this afternoon is to think about how we can be Courtney to someone else.

We are here to honor her life because of the meaning and value she gave to each of us. She treasured us and is a treasure to each of us.

Let’s think about spreading that treasure…for Courtney.

How can each of us pay that forward to treasure and honor her legacy?

Who will you reserve time for?

Who will you make time for?

Who will you advocate for?

Who will you champion and cheerlead for?

To whom will you extend sunshine and bring sparkle?

How can each of us be someone’s Courtney?

She’d want that from us. She’d expect it from us. And, she’d want it FOR us.

And, she’d expect it to be accomplished with a wink, a laugh and a little snort.

W. Kent Barnds
Executive Vice President for Strategy and Innovation
Augustana College

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