The Morning Herald from Hagerstown, Maryland • Page 43

Ann Que Section Santa Fe, N.M., Sunday, January 11, 1987 Most of these people weren't seen in the headlines during the past year, but their contributions were noticed by the people they helped and worked with. On the next two pages are stories by New Mexican staff writers about 10 people who made their impact in the Santa Fe area. Kitty Leakcn The New Mexican For Mary Lou Cook, variety is the spice of life. A long list of varied accomplishments "How can we expect peace if we can't get along as neighbors Mary Lou Cook By HOLLIS ENGLEY The New Mexican Staff "I have one New Year's wish," Mary Lou Cook said. "That in our community and neighborhoods we can start to acknowledge and understand and serve each other and care for our portion of the planet.

That's all we can do take care of where we are. "How can we expect world peace if we can't get along as neighbors? I hope to work on that this year." It is a fairly common New Year's resolution; it might be a cliche from anyone else. But for Mary Lou Cook, it is the way she has lived her life. Cook, 68, came to Santa Fe 10 years ago. Before that, she lived in El Paso, Tulsa, Kansas City, Des Moines and Milwaukee.

She worked as a recruiter for the Peace Corps and VISTA; as a trustee for the Milwaukee Arts Center; and she was the first woman bank director in Santa Fe. "I was at Shidoni in the early days and I helped start the Acupuncture Association of New Mexico and I helped start the Dispensable Church with Hugh Prather," she said. "The most important thing Mary Lou Cook Chairwoman Santa Fe Living Treasures 1 have been a teacher and lecturer around the country for years and years on calligraphy and creativity and communications skills. It's a long list, but when you live a long life you have things like this to put on a list." In the past three years, Cook has become best known as chairman of the Santa Fe Living Treasures and founder of the Santa Fe Network for the Common Good, a loosely organized network of people whose self-assigned mission is to "acknowledge those people in the community who are a little older, who have demonstrated a certain spirit and attitude. Many of the people have not been honored before, except in their neighborhood." Thirty-seven Living Treasures have been named ranging across the races and religions of Northern New Mexico from Santa Fe curandera Gregorita Rodriguez to Taos Pueblo elder Telles Goodmorning.

Cook said she and the other founders of the Living Treasures try to follow the teachings of Mohandas Gandhi, who said. "You must be the change you wish to see in the world." Sister Shirley Le Blanc is happy running St. Elizabeth's Shelter. Michael New Mexican Following a tradition of charity "Winning the community support was the most difficult part for It was hard to understand why it took so long. It seemed like we had to meet the test of time.

And in God's good time it happened. It was a Christmas miracle." Sister Shirley Le Blanc By SAM ATWOOD The New Mexican Staff Sister Shirley Le Blanc never dreamed she would live the legend of her parents' generosity. Today, as leader of St. Elizabeth's Shelter for the homeless in Santa Fe, she has more than equaled their charity. The third of seven children of French descent, Le Blanc grew up in the mining town of Port Sulphur, near the Gulf of Mexico.

Her father was a mining'foreman and later, the head of a local fire department. When hurricanes hit, her parents stayed behind to help the Red Cross feed the homeless and clear the debris. In fair weather, they fed and visited those who were less fortunate. "Mom was always sending food down the street to somebody and Dad was always helping the poor," Le Blanc said. Now 47 and a 10-year-veteran of the Catholic Sisters of Charity, Le Blanc has continued her parents' legacy of caring.

In Sister Shirley Le Blanc Catholic Sisters of Charity 13 months, she helped transform the dream of St. Elizabeth's Shelter into a reality. She lives in prii'ate room in the shelter, now in a brick and red-tile roof house on Don Caspar Street near the State Capitol. She is executive director, and until three more sisters arrive later this month, the only staff member to manage up to 27 men and five women residents. In spite of her administrative title, she can't resist counseling those who come seeking help.

"You have to be everything to these guys mother, sister, brother, but it's all worth it," she said. Le Blanc didn't enter a religious order until she was 33. Before that, she was a cosmetologist, an Air Force staff sergeant and a health care administrator. "I always had a vocation to be a nun, but I kept putting it off. I had roads to travel before I made the commitment," she said.

She joined the Franciscans in 1973, but dropped out a year later. She didn't like wearing a traditional nun's habit. "People relate to you far better without a habit, without that barrier. Talking to a person in a habit is talking to an institution, not an individual," she said. Vatican II and changing times relaxed that requirement, and Le Blanc now wears blue polyester pants and a turtleneck with a white hospital smock.

In 1976, she joined the Sisters of Charity. She worked for five years in the business office at St. Joseph's Hospital in Albuquerque, then served another five as an assistant administrator of Villa Therese health clinic in Santa Fe. In November 1985, members of the now defunct Santa Fe Coalition asked her to lead a movement to establish a shelter here. "I welcomed the opportunity because I knew I could do it right," she said.

So far, Le Blanc has overcome every obstacle in her path. Last November, residents opposed and defeated a bid to open the shelter in the United Way building on Alarid Street. With winter chilling the bones of the homeless, the city granted a four-month-perm it for St. Elizabeth's to move into its present location, even though the 60-year-old house falls far short of meeting fire regulations. The shelter opened Dec.

15. During the holidays, Le Blanc directed the flow of donated clothing, food and labor Sec SISTEK on Page D-3 She helps people achieve dignity "When we teach them English, we empower them. You see incredible personality changes. And they have much more to give to the community." Rena Paradis By BOB QUICK For The New Mexican Rena Paradis and her volunteers take people who think of themselves an idiots and help them achieve dignity by teaching them what a lot of us take for granted to read, speak, and write the English language. As executive director of Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe for the past year, Paradis has been instrumental in training tutors, raising money, publishing a newsletter, and initiating a strong public relations campaign.

Even more important, hundreds of the estimated 10,000 illiterate people in the Santa Fe area have turned their lives around. "When we teach them English, we empower them." Paradis said. "You see incredible personality changes. And they have much more to give to the community." Before she was named to the post, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe "was kind of flying around, doing what it could," Paradis said. "There was no office," and the organization hobbled along as part of Rena Paradis Executive Director, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe the mayor's Commission on Literacy.

Under Paradis' leadership, Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe "realized we were big enough to officially affiliate with Literacy Volunteers of America." There followed a $10,000 grant from the Gannett Foundation, and the organization recently move into a brand new office in the LaFarge Library on Llano St. Before becoming director, Paradis was a commercial artist with the Delgado advertising agency. She also taught English as a Second Language at Santa Fe Community College, a job she still has. There she meets many of the students who have come to this country looking for a better life. "I wish the people of Santa Fe could see them," Paradis said.

"They're coming in with a work ethic, strong family ties, and old-fashioned values. They make wonderful Americans." Many of those people finish Paradis' classes, then seek additional help through her from tutors of Literacy Volunteers of Santa Fe. "They're very anxious to learn the language as quickly as possible," Paradis said. Sydney Rena Paradis is proud of her students. Others who made a difference in 1986 This is the third year that.

The New Mexican's staff went looking for 10 people who made a 'a difference' during 1986. Several community leaders and the staff were asked who deserved the recognition this year for their contributions to the community in 1986. More people were nominated than could fit, but they deserve to be noted. They are: Richard Cook, chairman of the visual arts department at the College of Santa Fc. Since his arrival three years ago, has huilt the college's visual arts pro gram from the ground up.

Jay an Apache-Cree psychologist who has done a lot of work with Native Americans who have alcoholism and addiction problems. He recently had major neck surgery and fortunaley beat a prognosis of paralysis. Mort l.ichman. 'owns Copy Graphics) for working on Santa Fe Has a Heart, to provide free rent. and food to the poor Herb Kincev.

leader of St. John's Search and Rescue Team Walter Ingram. has done of volunteer work at N'M AIDS services. Jackie l.ainft, director of Department of Human Services, and Sharon Hurley, social worker, at St. Vincent Hospital, for efforts above and beyond the call of duty to take care of patients.

Crispin pastor of St. Francis Cathedra), for overseeing church's renovation and With anniversary celebrations Sxwtrll. president of the Santa Fe Community Kounda lion Drlorfft r'idrl. head nurse at Santa Fe High School Besides doing her job. Fidel helps needy students and their families by finding clothing for them ItHty Kunnrl.

director of Santa Fe Youth Shelter, for her continuing work with that coniro versial agency Shirlri who works with the mentally handicapped in a 4-jf prograrri and teaches hunter safety.