Amy Callison, a long-time member of River Bluffs Audubon Society, passed away on May 14, 2007. She was 88 years old, but one of those people who always seemed much younger than her age.

      Amy and her husband, Charlie Callison, who died in 1993, were staunch members of the chapter for many years. I’m not sure when they moved back to the area from the East Coast, but I met them in 1991 in miserable, cold, rainy weather. Charlie was handing out trees at an Earth Day celebration, and Amy was providing the coffee and brownies.

      It was typical that the weather made no difference. They were both dedicated to environmental affairs and they traveled all over Missouri when necessary in spite of the weather.

      It was also typical that

Amy made the best brownies in Mid-Missouri.  She and Charlie hosted many Audubon board meetings at their house and Amy fed everyone. One of her contributions to environmental work was making people feel welcome.

      Amy also attended RBAS meetings well into her 80s, and she began the tradition of holding a mailing party to mail out “The Timberdoodle.”  This tradition continued even after she left her own house and moved to a retirement home. When she was 85, she was still mailing “The Timberdoodle”!

      In addition, Amy

provided generous donations to the chapter and Audubon Society of Missouri. River Bluffs Audubon honored her commitment with the chapter’s Outstanding Achievement Award three years ago.

Amy remained a citizen of the world even in her older years.  She took an active interest in environmental issues and politics, and made sure she voted.

I’m sure that quite a few  readers will have their favorite memories of Amy. She was a great person who served as an inspiration to many of us. She set an example of how one person can make a difference throughout a lifetime.              — Celeste Koon