"Stop me before I volunteer again" should have been on Mimi's University of California business card, but instead, it was on a napkin she provided when hosting our first CalConnect Board of Director's retreat in 2012.
Shortly after this event, Mimi became the 4th recipient of the CalConnect Distinguished service award, presented to those individuals for their extraordinary and/or exemplary service to its mission to promote interoperable calendaring. In the roughly half a dozen years Mimi was active in CalConnect, her service was extraordinary, volunteering time after time. As we noted when conferring the award, "Mimi truly exemplifies the spirit of the award as we conceived it - commitment, collegiality, leadership and consensus building, representation of the calendaring community, and stewardship of CalConnect as an organization. We could not be more pleased to recognize and share Mimi's contributions and accomplishments in front of her peers at our 30th CalConnect conference."
Regrettably for CalConnect, this was around the time that Mimi's professional responsibilities changed at UC Berkeley, and her participation in CalConnect came to a close. Fortunately, the friendships she made within our organization did not end then, they endured for many of the same qualities we cited, and one more - Mimi brought joy to her work, and it infused those of us who worked with her.
In the last few years, Mimi's life has been altered by significant health challenges. Very recently those challenges have become even more serious. Through social media, Mimi and her husband Jon have shared this part of her journey with friends and family, with openness and grace, sometimes with humor, sometimes with deep sadness, but throughout, their stewardship of their love, and their life together brilliantly shines through.
CalConnect is an international organization, with member organizations on four continents, but it is not unlike local community organizations that we volunteer our time for – libraries, animal shelters, public school committees, and the like. Although we join these organizations for the commonweal, the common good, they bring new people into our lives that we would not have otherwise met, influencing us, expanding our horizons, and our expectations.
Those of us who have known Mimi through her participation in CalConnect have had the good fortune to have our expectations raised, and horizons lifted through her commitment to our common purpose and goals, but perhaps most importantly, by how she lives and works – enriching our lives by enthusiastically embracing life, and treating everyone with respect and kindness.
In an organization which has seen many high achievers and contributors, Mimi continues to stand out. Her “unstoppable" volunteerism, and her warm friendship will stay with those of us whose lives have been touched by Mimi in the years to come.
The CalConnect community fondly, and gratefully recalls Mimi's contributions and participation, and wishes Mimi and her family the very best.
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Mimi Mugler passed away Saturday night, December 9, 2017. Our condolences and best wishes to her family.
The CalConnect Board of Directors