I didn't learn of Dean Emery's death until the Centennial Dinner. I am glad that some time was allowed during dinner to reflect on her career, she was truly a special woman. After the dinner when I called to ask if a service or memoriam was planned, Dean Leach told me no, the family had decided otherwise, but fortunately she also directed me to this online memoriam. I'm glad for the chance to write about Dean Emery, I found myself spending a lot of time in her office. I don't remember why I first started hanging out there, maybe it was her secretary, I liked talking about music with her. Or maybe because she brought her dog to work, I always wanted to take her retriever for a walk. For whatever reason, I enjoyed being in her company. I did not know she had started the tradition of wearing leather pants - the first time I noticed it was when I saw Dean Yaffee striding toward the Adobe Lodge in leather pants at dusk and I was reminded of an Anne Rice novel - but it makes sense, she was an iconoclast and she had her own style. I don't mean to be disrespectful, but I really think the tradition of leather-wearing deans should be continued in her honor, considering her wry sense of humor I think she would have liked that. Of course, the greatest tribute to Dean Emery is that to think of Santa Clara, to think of those qualities that make Santa Clara a special and beloved institution, is to think of Mary Emery.

- gabriel g.

I will miss Mary very much: her dry wit, warm heart, and stylish leather jackets and pants! She was my colleague for twenty-one years and I am so fortunate to have known her.

- margaret r.

How to summarize in a few words the impact of one person, larger than life, on others? Mary B. Emery, or to me - Mrs. E., was irreverent, funny, witty, intelligent and loyal – a few of her many qualities. She loved Santa Clara Law and her fingerprints can be found in every nook and cranny of the law school not just in the law library. Her sudden and untimely passing leaves an enormous crater in the institution and in our hearts. She was a mentor to so many. She inspired me to become a law librarian, a career I have loved and have never regretted. She encouraged me to go to law school even though, having worked at the law library for a few years, I questioned the wisdom of putting myself through the grind that I had observed others going through, especially since I had absolutely no intention of ever practicing law. Over our 43 years together, she demonstrated her faith in me and gave me so many opportunities to grow both personally and professionally. One of our last conversations before her vacation revolved around the question of retirement. To quote one of her frequent sayings: “I am never going to retire. They will just have to wheel me out of my office on a stretcher with a sheet over my face and toes up”. We all thought that this would not happen for many years. It gives me comfort to know that she passed away still with her boots on and in the saddle – on her terms, the way she lived her all too short life.

- mary h. ('75)

I wouldn't be a lawyer today without her help and support

- raymond s.

She was just very, very nice. And, she always gave me a smile whenever I saw her or talked with her.

- claudia c. ('02)