the equipoise fund board
Mickey, Jean and Lee.
Mickey Babcock, Director, Founder and President
As I write, I am in the loft of my cabin in Buffalo Valley, Wyoming. Outside of my window is the verdant mountainside, and to the south the valley floor is ripe with the Buffalo Fork River. My wonderful stepchildren, Jenny and Brian, are playing with the four large brown dogs that race through the grasses. Life is full and rich, and I am grateful.
“Of whom much is given, much is expected.”
How do we capture the moments of our lives in a few structured words? How do we know, when we serve as a philanthropists, that we have “made a difference”? For me, finding the space—in which all possibility lies—is the answer. It is in that place—that “equipoise”—where the grace of the universe shows up.
I have had times in my life where I could not find that space. And I have been blessed with moments so full, tears of joy would not stop flowing.
I use a simple guide for my life in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:
“. . . to know that even one life has breathed easier because you have lived, this is to have succeeded.” If there’s more you want to know about me, use Google.
Find your own equipoise, then tell me about it.
Lee S. Duncan, Director and Secretary
I was born and raised in Memphis, but have also put down roots in Western North Carolina where my husband and I have a home in the mountains. Hiking in the blue ridge parkway may be heaven, but Memphis will always be home. My husband, Joe, and I have been married for over twenty years, and I'm proud to be the stepmother to Joe's son, Andy, who along with his wife Norine are a great blessing to us.
After graduating from Rhodes College in 1973 with a degree in psychology, I worked at Seabrook Wallcoverings for 17 years, where I was a member of a color marketing group which fore-casted color trends in advance. I enjoyed working with interior designers for luxury yachts as well as some of the staff from "Garfield," the comic strip! It was an amazing experience that kept me ever vigilant on the aspects of our culture that influence color and design.
Since retiring, I have spent much of my time volunteering at my church, Calvary Episcopal, in downtown Memphis. My husband and I are both active at our Alma mater, Rhodes, where I have served as Chairman of the President's Council. Equipoise is important to the women of Wyoming because we all have times in life where we reach a point of either going forward, or falling back. To know that there is someone who believes in you, and helps to give you the tools to make it happen is what it's all about. As Mickey would say, "sometimes we all just need a butt-boost!"
Jean L. Martin Kirk, Director and Chief Guru
I love the blending process. It can be fruits into a smoothie or a blues musician accompanied by the symphony. It's a known fact, good things happen when the right combinations are brought together.
Raised in the surrounding area of Memphis, Tennessee, I have had the privilege of knowing strong women, some born here, some not. Their strengths have molded and positively influenced a multitude of folks. I graduated from Memphis State University with a degree in early childhood education, and the 70's became a memorable decade of teaching (and learning) in the classroom (all done in platform shoes, mini skirts and long hair) and then teaching (and learning) as a stay-at-home mom with the birth of my older son. Community service in the 80's and 90's presented me the opportunity to work closely with women whose efforts made life better. I identify closely with Mississippi's Eudora Welty, an author and artist of photography, I love her quote, "I am a writer who came from a sheltered life. A sheltered life can be a daring life as well. For all serious daring starts from within." Thanks to Mickey Babcock, and her willingness to make a difference, then and now, I am a small part of the Equipoise Fund and its mission to give a butt-boost to the women of Wyoming.
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