By Joseph Mariano

Shel Trapp called her the "Hidden Warrior."

Cathy Klump, NTIC Director of Development and Strategic Planning, nailed it by saying that ". . . while Gale was called the Mother of CRA . . . she is truly the mother of NTIC."

Cal Bradford, a long time NTIC board member, compared her to a ship's carpenter.

They were referring to Anne-Marie Douglas, NTIC Chief Administrator, who retired on June 30, 2004 after 33 years of loyal and exemplary service to the organization that she helped found along with Gale Cincotta and Shel Trapp. For 33 years Anne-Marie worked behind the scenes and out of the spotlight to keep NTIC, and through the work of NTIC, countless neighborhood groups alive and fighting for neighborhood residents around the country.

Current and former NTIC staffers, board members, friends, relatives, neighbors and fellow church members of Anne-Marie's gathered at Chief O'Neal's in Chicago to honor those many years of service with a surprise retirement party.

During the celebration of her work, Trapp retold the story of how he first met Anne-Marie. While Trapp was director of the Northwest Community Organization (NCO) he advertised for someone to handle the books and other administrative tasks. Anne-Marie answered the call. One of the first tasks that Anne-Marie accomplished at NCO was to move beyond Trapp's brown bag accounting system; one bag for "paid bills" and another for "bills to be paid"; to creating systems of financial accountability and record keeping. While Trapp didn't fully understand her new system, he quickly realized that things were going smooth and so he decided to keep her around. When Trapp and Gale decided to create NTIC, they asked Anne-Marie to join them. Trapp realized that even though he did not understand what the numbers meant or how she did things, he had total confidence in Anne-Marie, so that he could focus on doing what he did best - the strategizing and training related to community organizing.

Cal Bradford, who has also been around since the early days, wrote an eloquent tribute to Anne-Marie, as part of a memory book, which was presented to her at the party. Realizing my limits in written expression and knowing a well crafted piece when I read it, I am going to pirate parts of what he wrote, as he captures the spirit of what we do at NTIC and the important role played by Anne-Marie in assisting our community organizing work.

"NTIC has been . . . like the great old ships on voyages of great discoveries. These are the discoveries of neighborhood power and neighborhood leaders. The voyages have brought back these once hidden neighborhood treasures to the people of America. Gale had been at the helm from the beginning and through many years of storms and beautiful sunrises. The community leaders have been, and still are, the many captains for each action (each voyage large and small). Shel and Joe and the many other organizers have been the creative and skilled navigators, while the staff have provided a truly dynamic and able-bodied crew _ all of them holding ship on course though many different and sometimes troubling seas.

"In visits to the sites in Williamsburg, Virginia where the original three ships that founded the Virginia Colony have been recreated, I have learned of the critical value of one other key person _ the ship's carpenter. Ship's carpenters are not just old world engineers with a hammer. They did more than plug the holes. They designed and implemented the necessary physical changes required to keep the ship afloat, battle ready, and on course throughout the voyages. The carpenter taught essential crafts to the crew and passengers and often was the person keeping account of the supplies and resources. The carpenters anticipated what would be needed and prepared ships each time the captains and navigators set off on a new course. The records of many ships tell us that the carpenters were often the ones w ho gave the most comfort to the passengers and crew by listening to their stories _ frequently providing wisdom and music to help celebrate the good time or to help ward off discouragement in the bad times.

". . . You have provided me . . . with great the great pleasure of watching you work over these past years as the wonderful, creative and masterful ship's carpenter on the voyages of the great NTIC ship." "You are a master of your craft."

When asked why she decided stay for 33 years, Ann-Marie recounted the story of watching Chicago Fire Department tear down an abandoned building in NCO turf. As neighbors gathered around to witness bewildered city firefighters destroying the building, someone asked why they were doing it and the firefighter answered, "because Mayor Daley put out the order". But Anne-Marie knew the truth, this was happening because neighborhood residents got organized _ public meetings, tough and persistent leadership and an organization that knew how to win. The Mayor did indeed "put out the order", but he did so because the community put out the demand! After witnessing the power that people could have, Anne-Marie was hooked.

Anne-Marie has a long history of winning against all odds starting as a youngster watching and hearing about her parents' "work". During World War II, Anne-Marie's parents were part of the Danish underground resistance that rose up against the Nazi occupiers of their native land. This heritage gave Anne-Marie a good start for the work she would eventually be a part of at NCO and NTIC.

The implications for local community organizations and NTIC in the future are clear: without the hidden warriors or ship's carpenters, we will not be able to do powerful and effective community organizing. Anne-Marie has passed the torch at NTIC to Marina Selikhova, another hidden warior!

Thanks Anne-Marie! We will miss you and look forward to seeing you and swapping stories with you on the waterfront wharf---as the NTIC ship gets ready to sail on another voyage!