CLARK'S TALES: EARLEE MAE, METEOROLOGIST, ADVENTURER, AMAZING FRIEND!

Earlee Mae was one opinionated woman! She arrived in Minnesota one frosty fall day in early October, 1995. She had no idea what to expect of her new life in a state which she knew little about. What she did know was that she had a secure job offer, and she was darned sure that she needed a change from her Carolina roots. She was always excited for a new challenge, although her friends and family didn't always agree with that. They could never understand why she would leave home and seek employment in an uncertain land so far from home. It was, by all accounts, about as far north as you could get, and who ever heard of Minnesota anyway?

But Earlee was convinced of one sure thing--her life was about to change dramatically, and she couldn't imagine it any other way. And besides being opinionated, she was confident and more than willing to "rock the boat." No matter what others thought, she always marched to her own beat, even as a young child. She was focused and "driven" and determined to succeed, and there would be no stopping her. I admired her enormously for that. She was a truly remarkable woman, and I considered myself very lucky to be her friend.

I met Earlee at the local ABC television affiliate in Minneapolis, where she was the new morning meteorologist and I was one of the receptionists, taking calls from listeners. I never understood how easily she could stand in front of the camera, point to weather maps, and joke with the newscasters at that hour. I could barely function at five a.m., so she truly amazed me. She was an early riser, so that part was easy, but I could never imagine how smoothly she made it all look on camera, and how easily understandable. At that hour people were in their "busy" mode, and Earlee was appreciated for being concise and articulate, full of good humor, with a distinctive and pleasing voice. Simply put, she was a winner! She exuded confidence, and viewers, as well as station personnel, loved her. The calls that came in to the station were almost unanimously positive about her.

Earlee had studied long and hard to land her position at our local television station. She had worked her way up the ranks, filling in at smaller television markets, but she hadn't expected to be offered this job in the Twin Cities, where weather was variable and sometimes extreme. It sure wasn't like that most of the time in the Carolinas. And yet, she loved the challenge! She often heard from tourists: "This is a lovely area, with all the lakes and parks and emphasis on arts and education, but I could never imagine myself living here during the winter." Even some of the long-time residents had found it increasingly difficult to tackle the snow drifts, ice storms, and below zero weather. But then there were the beautiful sunny winter days, just made for skating and skiing and sledding. Earlee found herself going back and forth through the years with her feelings about her adopted home. It was easy to remember the warm sunny December days in Carolina as she was growing up. When she called family members to tell them that the wind chill temperature on a particular day was -30 degrees, they were in disbelief! How could it ever get below zero, let alone more than thirty degrees beyond that, they wondered! Earlee found it fascinating, but like nearly everyone else, she was not enthralled with how it felt on her skin. But it did make her more empathetic with listeners who called in and complained.

For nearly 18 years Earlee and I were good friends, despite the 12 years difference in our ages. She was practically a youngster when she arrived in Minnesota, being only 35, while I was a budding baby boomer, and starting to feel my age. Earlee was starting to feel restless during the last few years she was at the station, longing for a new environment and new challenges. She no longer saw her future as a meteorologist. "Too limited," she said. And the last year she spent here was filled with surprises, but the real clincher was weather related--snow in early May! I remember the day she said to me, "I need to move on, Lynda. I'm not even sure what my future holds, but I want to see the world and explore what's out there. I'm going to take a year off to consider the possibilities. And who knows why, but I want to see France and Germany and Belgium, and places beyond. I want to hear the wonderful accents and learn some new languages. I want to ride the trains and see the countryside, and meet new people from different cultures. There's a big, wonderful world out there, and I want to be part of it."

So that was it! My friend Earlee Mae was off to new lands and new adventures. I shed more than a few tears when she left, but she taught me a lot about taking risks, living life to the fullest, and like Thoreau, marching to her own drummer. She'll always be my dear friend and role model. I remember those 18 years as the best years of my life. Thank you Earlee!!

(Dedicated to my good friend Angela)

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