Every month we profile a neighborhood resident who’s also a fan of our Facebook page. If you’re not a fan, become one now … we give away loads of free stuff, nearly every day. And, if you’re interested in answering a bunch of goofy questions and being featured in an upcoming profile, let me know at crobinson@advocatemag.com. Include in the subject line “I want to be a Facebook fan profile” and tell me what neighborhood you live in.
Mary (left) jamming with her band
In the August issue is Mary Guthrie, 53, a development assistant and a musician (in bands Merry and the Mood Swings and RePlay). She is married with two kids, 21 and 15, and one dog.
What’s a little known fact about you?
I took up martial arts at age 40; earned my black belt at age 46. Ee-yah!
What’s your most embarrassing moment?
Pulled up into the drive-thru bank lane in a beaten-up old van and proceeded to drop my check out the window; I apologized to the waiting bank teller and then climbed out the drivers-side window to retrieve it instead of simply opening the door. Not one of my brightest days!
What would your career be if you could do it all over again without consequences?
Fiction author.
What’s the one thing you wish you could do but are reasonably sure you never will?
A back flip. They look like so much fun!
What’s your most treasured possession?
Ruby red PRS guitar, hands down.
What’s your strangest or most random Facebook friend connection?
Yura, a musician from Russia — don’t know how he found me and everything he writes is in Cyrillic!
Mary as a wee one
What did you want to be when you grew up?
First, a saint (the glory!). Then, a meter maid (the power!). Then, a reporter (the stories!).
If you could only eat at one neighborhood restaurant for the rest of your life, which would it be?
Bobo China — something about the place brings out great conversations that go with great food.
How would you explain your neighborhood to someone living in, say, Newfoundland?
We have pretty houses, lots of trees, next to a good-sized lake and horse stables, and are only 15 minutes to downtown. Much warmer than Canada, but watch out for melting summers and B-52-sized mosquitoes!
Whole Foods, Central Market, Kroger, Tom Thumb or somewhere else — where do you grocery shop and why?
Mostly Tom Thumb because I worked there back in the disco days (play that funky music). Whole Foods or Central Market when I feel like a springing for a treat, and Kroger or Albertsons when I need a dose of friendly clerks! Also like La Michoacana, especially for fajitas!
What brings a smile to your face every time?
Dogs playing. Ours has a good buddy in the neighborhood and when they play it’s a real lift! Wish I could run and bounce and tumble like that!
What item in your closet is most humiliating?
My Earth shoes, I guess? Humiliating because I still have them?
What do you love about the age you’re at now?
Takes more to faze me, less to amaze me, life gets sweeter and deeper the longer you’re around. (Hey, this sounds like a new song!)
What are some jobs you’ve held in the past?
Ice cream scooper; laser light show assistant; disco DJ; radio magazine co-host. The best was a strategic planning position at Dallas Heritage Village. Worst was PR director for a local network TV affiliate — I used to cry on my way into work!
What celebrity would you most like to meet for coffee and why?
Irving Azoff. Not a celebrity himself but a legend in music circles as manager of the Eagles and many other acts. He’s from my small hometown in Illinois and I’d like to hear his stories — plus share a few with him from when I used to hang with his younger brother.
Mary (far right) with her family
Do you have a favorite quote?
“Great things aren’t written, they’re re-written.”
What are you afraid of, rationally or irrationally?
Alligators! Rationally, because they’re alligators, irrationally, because there’s none around here …
Who is your hero and why?
Mary Kay Ash, no joke. She was over 50 when she started her company, she created opportunities for millions of women, she gave to her community, and she promoted the concept of God first, family second and company third. That’s just first-class.
Would you skydive in the most beautiful place in the world? Why or why not?
No, because the most beautiful place in the world is a gorgeous ocean and I’d rather be on the surf instead of screaming in the air!
Do you have any benign confessions to make?
I once climbed up onto the domed roof of Dallas Hall at SMU.
When did you realize you were no longer a child?
The last apron string was cut when I was pregnant with my second child and I got up the nerve to tell my mother — without fear of her opinion — that I was going to use a midwife instead of a hospital to deliver the baby. She did disagree, but I was secure in my decision. She eventually came around!
