On Tuesday October 2, AYC’s Board, at the recommendation of all of the current Honorary Life Members, voted to make Mike and Maryellen Ferring Honorary Life Members as well.
According to the AYC Bylaws, “Honorary Life Membership may be granted to any Club Member whose services to the Club and the sport of sailing shall have been deemed outstanding over a period of years.” For several decades now Mike and Maryellen have served the AYC and ASF, as Board members, as Sailing Instructors and in general as “Ambassadors” for sailing in Arizona.
Here are some highlights of their outstanding service:
- In 2010 Maryellen was recognized by the ASF with the “Heavy Lifting Award.”
- Mike has long been the Webmaster of our website, one of the best in sailing.
- Mike served as AYC Commodore on an unmatched record of three separate occasions (2006-07, 2012-13, 2017-18), always, as we all know, with a lot of help from Maryellen.
- They were instrumental in bringing many of our featured speakers to meetings including the likes of Gary Jobson, North U founder Bill Gladstone, J-Boats president Jeff Johnstone, Oracle USA Tactician and Olympian Andrew Campbell, and many more.
- In the Spring of 2014 Mike was recognized with Ye Blunder Bucket for “inventing a new way of decapitating a C14 mast: driving under rowing shells parked inside the fence and overhanging the drive.”
- They are ever present in the racing results, at both Tempe Town Lake and Lake Pleasant.
- They represent the AYC and “sailing in the desert” wherever they go, literally around the country and all over the world.
Their constant presence and service, whether in the foreground or in the background, has been truly outstanding, greatly furthered the sport of sailing in Arizona and made our club a better one.
This list is by no means complete, but please join me in congratulating and thanking them for their service!
AYC Honorary Life Members: David and Hermine Shapiro (deceased), Joyce Seale, Tom and Carol Ohlin, Frank (deceased) and Marylou Bigelow, Al and Sandy Lehman, Mike Yarnell and Tia Renshaw, George Tingom, Mike and Maryellen Ferring
