2000 Presentation of the Kenneth A. White, Jr. Distinguished Business Officer Award to Jim Martin

Before beginning I would like to thank the committee members who had the very difficult task of deciding on this year's recipient from among a number of extremely well qualified nominees. The committee members were Nick Bakker, last year's Ken White Award recipient, Bobby Levin, Martin MacDiarmid, Kate Lindsey, Bobbi Whiting, Jim Pugh and me. Serving on this committee was a humbling experience as one read first hand about the talent, skills, expertise, commitment and dedication that the men and women nominated contribute to our profession.

By now it is no secret that this year's recipient of the Ken White Award is Jim Martin. Much of what I'm going to share about Jim I have pulled from the several enthusiastic nominations received on his behalf. Jim, while this award is presented with all sincerity and affection, hopefully the slides and pictures in the background will reveal your many sides. I'm not even certain all of the x-rated pictures have been removed.

Thirty plus years ago you were a young, green, new to the game business manager at Detroit Country Day School in the mid-west. Now, here you are in your first year of retirement – relaxed, sun tanned, and playing golf on beautiful courses all over the country and enjoying an ever growing number of grandchildren. Since I keep seeing your name pop up in various list-serves and emails, I don't think you ever really retired, you just stopped getting paid; although, even that's not true as I remember you talking about the killing you were making in the stock market and something about thank god for TIAA/CREF. Speaking of investments, I hear from your old business office at Charlotte Country Day that their endowment has really taken off since you left. They mentioned something about the performance being proportional to the number of strokes you take on the course.

However, we're not here tonight to honor the fact that you survived 30 years in the business office, or out lasted a few Heads, or that you are out on the golf course or that for part of the year you have moved even further south.

We are here because from those beginnings in the 1960's to the new millennium you have left a remarkable legacy of service to independent schools. Your dedication to a philosophy of service and leadership has made you a master teacher of business officers. Not always because you "had the right answer" (I won't embarrass you by mentioning a few of the faux pas along the way) but because you were a good student who became an excellent teacher. You taught us how fortunate we are to have colleagues willing to share information, ideas and experiences and that as we gather this information we have an obligation to take it back, not only to our own schools, but to other business officers through our local and regional associations.

During your tenure as Chair of the NAIS Business Services Committee, you reinforced this philosophy of sharing information and ideas with others. Your leadership in the NAIS Summer Financial Management Institute enabled that forum for new and experienced business officers to continue to provide an important means for collecting and sharing ideas and experiences. Your support for NBOA is another example of the implementation of a philosophy of service and leadership for business officers nationwide. You played a leadership role in the restarting of the Association of Business Officers of Independent Schools, an organization built on a foundation of service to others.

Your service has not been only at the national level but in local and regional associations as well. MISBO, the Midwest Business Officers Association, and the Charlotte Independent School Business Officers are but a few of the organizations who have benefited from your participation and leadership.

Jim, in every organization where you have participated, you have been a promoter of camaraderie, networking, sharing, and friendship. Your remarkable talents and abilities have greatly facilitated business officers in working together and feeling part of a greater whole. And your wonderful sense of humor and quick wit have enhanced the process for everyone.

With all of this, what some people may not realize is that you have had a life outside of school. Your family always has been and remains a pivotal focus in your life. You've been known to miss annual meetings of national business officers organizations where you were an officer because it was in conflict with the scheduled spring training of the baseball team you were coaching. Are you sure you had your priorities right? You have often reminded us to not let the business office run our lives and that we must take time out to smell the roses. You have followed your own advice by taking early retirement. Jim, we know you have benefited, but what about Mary!?

Jim, what we are saying is that you have influenced many lives in so many positive and important ways. We all owe you a debt for the incredible contribution you have made to our profession. The Ken White Award is well deserved and is but a token of our thanks and gratitude for everything you have done and continue to do for independent schools and for your colleagues.

Thanks!

– Jerry Cathey