If each life has a sound track, there’s no doubt that Mary Lou Dulle Boylan’s would be "The Sound of Music." To have a talent such as hers is a wonderful privilege for the artist blessed with it, but to share it - in the many ways Mary Lou has - transforms the individual privilege into a collective joy. She has brought thousands of smiles to the faces of so many: the elderly she encourages with her music ministry several days a week; the parishioners she directed in long-running and well known musical comedies both at St. Mary’s in Hyde Park and Christ the King; those attending and performing in benefits at Hyde Park Country Club; fellow choir members of St. Cecilia’s Adult Choir; her students when she was a young teacher at Guardian Angels school.

 

Mary Lou is currently the musical director of the "Queen City Songbirds," a group that sings at nursing homes and senior centers. Her musical compositions include an "Ave Maria," a Christmas Lullaby and a song about Cincinnati. One of the friends who nominated Mary Lou for this honor said this: "Mary Lou shares her God-given talents in a very unselfish way –not looking for compensation or rewards. She is a very spiritual lady." Another said: "All of Mary Lou’s accomplishments stem from her deep faith, her love of family and her loyalty to friends."  And yet another nomination reads: "She has shared her talent for lo these many years, by her spreading of joy and love through her piano and outgoing personality. She is THE BEST!"

 

If the measure of a life is the joy a person manages to spread, Mary Lou Boylan surely measures up. In ways too many to count, she lifts the spirits of all whom she meets along her joyful and energetic journey. It is with great pride and yes, joy, that Ursuline Academy names Mary Lou Dulle Boylan our 2008 Woman of the Year.