I met Diane in 1997 when I was assigned to her unit after passing a competitive placement exam. I had started in her absence and was feeling anxious and insecure about starting a new job that I didn't know the first thing about. Then she returned from her summer vacation and came to introduce herself. She was a small woman, looking younger than her age, wearing a simple white t-shirt, slightly rumpled, but she had this enormous presence that filled the room. Yet far from being intimidating, she was gentle and reassuring. I immediately felt better about my prospects as a radio journalist.
As a manager Diane encouraged collaboration and sharing of ideas. She never assumed she had the one right answer and was always willing to listen to others. As a result, our unit's daily coordination meetings became the envy of the section as we could always be heard laughing and enjoying each other's company. Diane's overriding quality, which I have heard others mention, too, was humility. She always saw and valued the strengths in others. Her criticism was always constructive. And she loved to foster young people. Our unit was teeming with interns, to the point that I can't remember half of them, but she was always there for them and often kept in touch with them after they left.
Most importantly, she treated her staff as people first. Now that I am a supervisor myself, I realize that I learned from her to put my staff's needs first and my manager's second, because it is my job to give them the confidence and the environment to deliver their best.
Over the years, Diane and I became friends. We often talked about our sons and found surprising parallels in our experience. We kept in touch after she retired. Even if we didn't see each other very often, I knew I could always count on her, and indeed, she was the first person I called outside my family when my son died. Even though she was dealing with her own health issues, after that she always made a point of calling me and making plans to do something together.
Even the last time I saw her at her home, despite her grim prognosis and deteriorating condition, she continued to be generous in her attention and empathy. What will I do without her now? Who will I call when the next tragedy strikes? My world is that much smaller without her generous presence.
There is a saying that to know that even one life has breathed easier because of you is to have succeeded. Diane, you have succeeded.