Peanut butter and jelly, bacon and eggs, Mickey and Minnie - think of pairs that naturally go together and you can’t help but think of Sue Bruen and Anne Rooke! WAMMC has been fortunate to have this Dynamic Duo in our membership for more than three decades. During that time these sisters, from Rochester, New York, have followed the WAMMC Mission by Contributing With Passion. Daughters of a surgeon and an OR nurse at St. Mary’s Hospital in Rochester, they along with a sister and a brother, had parents who set fine examples of service to the health care community. They grew up feeling part of the hospital and understanding the importance of volunteerism. Sue graduated from Marquette University where she majored in Journalism and Psychology and then on to Rochester Institute of Technology for her MBA while working at Burroughs in her hometown; first in public relations and then in marketing/communications. Anne pursued a career in nursing with a BSN from Boston College and an MSN from the University of Pennsylvania. While working at her first position as a staff nurse in Cardiology at Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center, Anne met Bob Rooke. Bob was a Morristown guy and had graduated from Pingry along with his good friend Bill Bruen. Are you starting to see where this is heading? Anne and Bob married in 1982 and moved to Morris Township and Anne began working at Morristown Memorial Hospital(MMH) as Director of Cardiac Rehab. They introduced Sue to Bill, which proved to be a perfect match. The Bruens married in 1984 and shortly after that both couples started their families. It was as young mothers that Sue and Anne realized they needed to become more active and the local hospital was a natural starting place. They saw a need to keep the Women's Association of MMH as it was in those years, vital by adding new members. Their own mother’s involvement with her group at St. Mary’s was a model and they took the initiative and formed the Morris Township Twig. This group of their friends brought together young women who shared similar interests. They both fondly recall many events in those early years that involved fundraising by the Township Twigs. A Silent Auction as part of a sailing trip around Manhattan called Anchors Away, Playhouses on Parade where seven children’s playhouses were displayed at the Armory and auctioned off, and Dancing at the Mansion that raised seed money for Mansion in May Upton Pyne Revisited in 1991 and Bayley Ellard in 1994. Sue and Anne have been involved in many aspects of Morristown Medical Center and WAMMC. Anne was a very active member of the Atlantic Health System (AHS) Board of Trustees from 2008-2019. Both women have served as Presidents of WAMMC and on the Executive Board for years. Sue’s first Board job was Program Chair in 1994 when the organization was celebrating its centennial anniversary. She had the idea to invite past Presidents to participate in a roundtable discussion. Sue was able to gather eight former WAMMC presidents for an event held in the Conservatory at the Madison Hotel that was an enormous success. Their accomplishments as fundraisers, particularly with leadership roles on many Mansions in May, are unsurpassed. One of their earliest shared responsibilities was Co-Chairing the Volunteers Committee at Bayley Ellard in 1994. With their own youngsters in school, they alternated school pick up and feeding of all four children while the other worked at the Mansion. They were in charge of Admissions at the Vail Mansion, the Preview Party at Knox Hill, and developed the concept of private parties at the Cross Estate and the Ross Family Farm. Private parties continue to be popular as part of the Mansion month. Sue and Anne were Co-Chairs of the 2010 Mansion at Fawn Hill. When Anne joined the AHS Board, Sue began her role in Operations on the next six Mansions. Asked if there are any challenges in working with your sister, Anne said that it is hard to say no to Sue and that is how she became involved with Operations and the search for the next Mansion. They recognize many people who have assisted in the search process, both formally and informally, including Barry Thomson and Michele and David Hedley. Their Operations job is inspired by the work of former and current Operation Committee members including Eleanor Doda, Joan Powell, Beth Wipperman, and Margaret and Bill Clossey. As Co-chair of the Long Range Planning Committee with Carla Suskin, Anne's leadership role continues as they look to a strong future for WAMMC. Sue is Chair of the Mansion Search Committee and her success in that position will once again be on display in Mansion in May 2025. In addition, Sue and Anne are Co-Chairs of Sponsorships and In Kind Donations, a concept they have developed. How fortunate we are to have Sue Bruen and Anne Rooke who are dedicated, hard-working and devoted WAMMC members with both history and vision.