Adversity breeds success
Mary Norton is one designer who could really connect with her audience. The founder of the MooRoo line of evening bags was in Denver recently to take part in the Brass Ring
Luncheon, where her one-of-a-kind purses accessorized the Pamella Roland evening gowns that also were part of the show and many of the 800 guests had first-hand experience with diabetes. “Eight years ago I was a stay-at-home mom,” Norton recalled. And then tragedy struck. She was diagnosed with lupus and her husband, in an attempt to cope with the suicide of two brothers, turned to alcohol to help dull the pain.
MooRoo – the name is a combination of her children’s nicknames – came about when Norton started making handbags on her kitchen table. Her babysitter, who also managed a boutique, was smitten by the unique designs and a brand was born.
Today, Norton said, her husband is sober, her lupus is in remission and “We’ve been invested in by a large luxury-goods company and in just a few months the Mary Norton brand of shoes and bags will be launched.”
Where are they now?
Former Denver Public Library Booklover’s Ball chair Louise Hurlbut is now vice president of marketing for Groople.com, an online booking service for travelers needing five or more rooms … Debbie Gradishar is preparing for her installation as president of The Guild of the Children’s Diabetes Foundation at Denver … Author and time management authority Melly Kinnard has hung up her spurs as a traveling lecturer. She went out in style: On her last tour, she often shared the dais with Dr. Jeri Nielsen, the Seattle physician who discovered she had a particularly aggressive form of breast cancer while on assignment at the South Pole. Since no planes would be able to get in or out of the area for another seven to eight months, Nielsen trained a welder to assist her in performing a biopsy and administered her own chemotherapy with the help of a heavy equipment operator … Dawn Goddel, a member of the Central City Opera Guild who works at the Westin Tabor Center, will chair Denver’s Taste of the Nation in 2007 with Tina Williams … Tami Beardsley will chair next year’s edition of Girls & Guys Night Out for Girls, Inc. of Metro Denver … Myrna Mourning is the new president of the Volunteers of America Guild, succeeding Herminia Vigil. Kathy Klugman is president-elect.
Quote, unquote
“Had I studied this hard in college I would have been Phi Beta Kappa.” – 2004-05 Junior League president Kelly Director about the coursework she must master to become a Merrill Lynch financial adviser.
“Earlier today, when I was stuck in a traffic jam, I was thinking about this event and realized that I’ve been (master of ceremonies) since before any of these girls were born. I guess that makes me a Sugarprune.” – Dr. Toby Cole as he prepared to introduce the young honorees at Colorado Ballet Auxiliary’s 16th Sugarplum Ball.
