Irish Person of the year, Sue Faulkner - 2005

To have been chosen to serve as the Irish Person of the Year for 2005 has to be one of the most exciting happenings in my life. First, I want to thank each of the former Irish Persons of the Year for nominating me. Such an honor to have this opportunity to "wear the sash."

Having been a member of our Society since it began 30 years ago, I remember the first St. Patrick’s Day party which was held at the Royal Coach Inn on Northwest Highway and Marsh Lane. A wonderful turnout that evening and I knew then that I wanted to be part of this newly-formed fun group. At the time it was called The Friendly Sons & Daughters of St. Patrick and renamed the Irish-American Society in 1987. I remembered as a child that on St. Patrick’s Day how proud I was to go to school wearing something green and to show that I was Irish. After all, I was a Ryan and was told that our Ryans came from Tipperary, Ireland.

Over the years, I have enjoyed serving in all offices as well as chairing or working on many of the I.A.S. committees, such as the St. Patrick’s Day Balls, Picnics, Beer & Bangers, Irish Fests, Christmas Parties, Texas Rose of Tralee, Talent Shows and in 1993-1994 co-president, with my husband Phil.

The longest running for me is the Texas Rose of Tralee, beginning in 1986 and then being invited to become co-chair with Phyllis Wells. I have traveled to Tralee, attending the Festival of Kerry and helping escort the new Rose and her family and friends for about 16 years. Many, many members of the Irish American Society have traveled to Tralee with us. Oh, how the locals loved seeing those black Texas cowboy hats come into their town!

In 1990 Phil chose to "cross the pond" with me and perhaps see if he could locate his cousins—and to our surprise, he found them all right there in Tralee. We still marvel at that coincidence and cannot tell you how much we have enjoyed getting to know them and sharing the family connection.

I was born and raised in Olean, New York, a small town in upstate New York. Phil and I knew each other as teenagers. Our mothers were friends in the Altar & Rosary Society, so they were happy when we began dating. While Phil finished up his degree at Ohio State I worked for the University, using my skills learned at the Rochester Business Institute. Phil’s employment as a mortgage officer with New York Life and USLIFE led us to Denver, Chicago and then Dallas.

We have 4 daughters, Debbie, Kathie, Diane and Peggy. Three sons-in-law, Paul, Kevin, and Michael. Seven grandchildren, Riley, Keegan, Kahlia, Keller, Kole, Dalton and Phillip. What joy they bring us. Much or our married life, after the girls were educated, has been spent traveling. Seemed a natural for me to become a travel agent, which I did for 15 years and our trips have taken us to all parts of the world. We have made some special international friendships as well, in our travels and many have visited Dallas over St. Patrick’s Day. Some have even had the opportunity to be part of our parade.

The friends we have made here in Dallas, especially in the Irish American society would make it difficult to ever leave Dallas. A few times in our life we have briefly thought about settling in another part of the country, but then how could we leave all our IAS friends? Our Society is like a family—a family that has a strong common bond and has fun together.

When we are not traveling, grandchildren, volunteerism, tennis, and crafts take up most of my time. But helping to keep the Irish American Society spirit glowing and growing is one of my favorite pastimes. I am proud and honored to hold the title of Irish Person of the Year for such a congenial group—a recognition that I will treasure for years.