When Mary Jaeger-Gale was presented the State of North Carolina’s highest civilian award — The Order of the Long Leaf Pine — to say she was surprised is an understatement. The award was presented by Sharon Decker, Gov. Stein’s Senior Advisor for WNC Recovery and fittingly a good friend of Mary.
When Mary accepted the award, she told the more than 100 people attending, “no one receives” such an award alone. Instead, it’s the entire team, she said, wiping away tears.
So many friends have posted on social media that she certainly deserved the award.
Mary, a native of Michigan, came to Bat Cave in 1981 with her husband Steve. She taught school at East Flat Rock for a while before being asked by the Morse family to join the Park staff as the communication manager and public relations person.
And that’s when I met Mary, clearly one of the dearest friends I’ve ever had. If you’re a friend of Mary, you have a faithful friend for life.
One person said he had never known anyone else, except Steve and Mary who could travel all over the county and have a place to stay in every state – at the home of friends they’ve met along the way.
When I met Mary, I was driving down the Chimney Rock Road in my car that she called “a roller skate”. Steve was driving their vehicle, and he had set up a time for me to meet Mary. We slammed on our brakes and more than 44 years later, our friendship has remained strong, and I’ll always remember that meeting. After that first meeting, there would literally be hundreds of rendezvous while covering events at the Park, across the State; celebrating birthdays, holidays and enjoying swimming and boating on Lake Lure.
We’ve been through good times and sad days along this journey.
I’ve been blessed to have gone on a few trips with her. A trip to Charlottesville, Va. on a train to spend a weekend with Sharon was my first train ride. She and Steve took me to her hometown of Adrian, Michigan, a couple years ago and treated me like a queen. We have a mutual admiration for Dolly Parton and for about the past 10 years, we’ve attended Media Day at Dollywood. We’ve gone to church together, went shopping, visited family and friends.
As much fun as it has been to travel a little bit and spend a lot of time in Chimney Rock and Bat Cave, being her friend is so much more.
It’s about her faithfulness to friends.
I’m among the most blessed to have Mary Jaeger-Gale as a friend. I’ve witnessed her influence at Chimney Rock Park, the Village and the State and how she and her team helped change tourism in Rutherford County. She is a true and dedicated leader, thinking of others before her.
I am proud of this sweet, funny, beautiful friend who makes all who know her feel special and isn’t this what we all should do too? Perhaps, that would be a goal as we step into 2026.