International Lactation Consultant Association

Page 7
In Memoriam
Remembering Mary Rose Tully
Mary Rose Tully passed on January 20, 2010 after a long battle with pancreatic
cancer. She was a long-time, influential member of ILCA and served on the
Board. She was also a founding member of the Human Milk Banking Association
of North America (HMBANA). She was Director of the Department of Lactation
Services at the University of North Carolina's Women's Hospital, and Adjunct
Clinical Instructor (Pediatrics) at the University of North Carolina's School of
Medicine, and long-time director of the WakeMed Milk Bank in Raleigh, North
Carolina, USA.. Mary Rose is survived by Douglas Blair Tully, her husband of 42
years, her son Christopher Paul Tully, his wife, Tania Georgiou Tully and their
daughter, Anika, all of Raleigh; her mother, Rose, and her four sisters and two
brothers. Donations may be made to the MRT Educational Fund, c/o Karen Britt
Peeler, Attorney at Law, P.O. Box 12154, Raleigh, NC 27605.
Mary Rose is remembered here by Mary Overfield, her long-time friend and collaborator.
For those of you who don‟t know me, I‟m Mary Overfield, and Mary Tully and I have been friends for
over 36 years. So many people have asked me – How did you and Mary become friends? I have to say
it was Chris‟ fault! We had moved to Raleigh from Denver and didn‟t know anyone, so I went to a
Nursing Mothers of Raleigh meeting. A little boy came over to play with my two-year old son Darren.
His mother introduced herself and invited us to their house for lunch. I never imagined that lunch
would lead to all that Mary and I have gotten to do together.
When Mary‟s family asked me to give a 3 minute remembrance today, I thought of everything: from
how my wonderful Catholic friend taught me to make Jewish Apple Cake to the incredible opportunity
we have shared teaching the Lactation Consultant Comprehensive Update Course - the LCCU - for the
past 17 years. I can‟t share all of my “Mary T” stories with you today, but I‟ll share a few.
In 1977, Dr. Jim Thullen hired Mary to conduct a portion of the NIEHS Research Infant Feeding Study
at WakeMed. To thank the pediatricians for allowing the data collection, she started helping their patients
with breastfeeding. When the study ended, the doctors lobbied the hospital to hire her. In 1985,
when it became possible to earn international board certification as a lactation consultant, Mary was in
the first group to earn her IBCLC. Her work has been instrumental in the acceptance of the lactation
consultant as a member of the health care team.
In the late 1980‟s, we created our book, The Breastfeeding Counseling
Guide, and used it to train Nursing Mother of Raleigh volunteers.
Our group donated to the first human milk bank in North
Carolina, The Piedmont Mothers‟ Milk Bank, using Mary Tully‟s
kitchen table! With the discovery of HIV/AIDS, the Milk Bank had
to process the donated milk, so Mary wrote a grant proposal that
resulted in the WakeMed Mothers‟ Milk Bank. She played a big role
in the formation of the Human Milk Banking Association of North
America and in writing the official guidelines for all milk banks.
Mary‟s over-arching vision has been that every mother who wants
to breastfeed should have the help she needs. Providing that help requires training and resources. So
many people have contributed to this dream. For example, WakeAHEC‟s Diane Yelverton coordinates
the LCCU course and the Art of Breastfeeding Conference – this year will be the twentieth. The In-
Home Breastfeeding Support Program we helped create with Susan Baker, who is now in Colorado,
Jam Gourley and Ruth Valois continues with Jam in the WIC Program. Mary had been active with the
US Breastfeeding Committee at the national level, but when the NC Breastfeeding Coalition was created
with many of the people here today, it was certainly a dream fulfilled for Mary. In fact, when she
first got sick, Mary was in Washington, DC, for a US Breastfeeding Committee meeting working to define
how breastfeeding was to be included in our US Healthy People 2020 National Goals. Her impact is
indeed felt across the nation and world, but nowhere as much as right here!