SIDEBAR Summer/Fall 2020 - 40

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The MBA's 19th Admendment Project
Continued from page 39

inspired me to be more understanding
and appreciative of differences and
challenges, no matter how severe, that
human beings face in life every day.
They both have inspired me to "pay it
forward" in my job and in my life every
day, to be more open-minded and have
greater empathy with others, no matter
what their life circumstance or situation.
For that greater understanding and
mindfulness, I am so very grateful to have
my daughters as my inspiration(s).

ROSEMARY MCCARRON
FLANNERY, ESQ.
Submitted by Catherine M. "Kate"
Harper, Esq.

JANE HACKETT FISHER,
ESQ.
Submitted by Anonymous
When I was in law school my late
mother used to take water aerobics at LA
Fitness in East Norriton. She would tell
me about the "wonderful female attorney
who has time for a life." Just by living
her life, Jane H. Fisher, Esquire, assured
my mother that I would not be chained
to an office after graduation. Without
even knowing it, Ms. Fisher made an
impression on my legal career before
it began. Early in my career and on
one of the first cases I handled nuts to
bolts, I was lucky enough to represent a
co-defendant in a case where Ms. Fisher
represented the Commonwealth. Ms.
Fisher's expertise, candor and respectful
demeanor made a greater impression on
me and almost a decade later I reflect on
her cool, calm and collected "teaching by
doing" demeanor when going against a
more difficult adversary. The Montgomery
County bar is fortunate to have Ms.
Fisher as an exemplary leader.

40 SIDEBAR

Rosemary McCarron Flannery,
Esq., was an active Member of the
Montgomery Bar Association at a time
when few women were practicing law
at all. She served as MBA Secretary for
many years. Rosemary, a married mother
of three, and a former sportswriter for
the Philadelphia Inquirer, went to law
school when her youngest children, the
twins, started first grade. She graduated
from Villanova Law School in 1965,
one of its first women graduates, and
practiced wills, trusts and estates law in
Montgomery County for the next 25
years with Wisler, Pearlstine, Talone,
Craig, Garrity and Potash. Rosemary was
active in the Estate Planning Council and
in her local community, Blue Bell, as a
Democratic Committeewoman.

MARY ANN KILLINGER,
ESQ.
Submitted by Tonya Lupinacci, Esq.
A woman who has inspired me is
Mrs. Mary Ann Killinger. Mrs. Killinger
invited me to spend a day with her at
the District Attorney's Office in 1991.
I was a junior in high school. When I

walked through the door of the DA's
office, I was greeted by her big smile, a
yellow notepad and a pen. She escorted
me to Court Room F and walked me
into the courtroom where jury selection
was taking place for a rape case that was
being prosecuted by then-Deputy District
Attorney Tom Egan. I experienced
the jury selection process and watched
opening statements. She treated me to
lunch at a local deli and I was locked
on to her every word as she shared with
me stories about what it was like to be a
prosecutor. My day with her in Court
Room F sealed my fate in the DA's
office. I returned home that evening
"glowing" as my mother described it.
Mrs. Killinger sparked inside of me my
life's calling to public service. I started
my career in the DA's office in 2003 and
never looked back. I had the honor to
work alongside Mrs. Killinger for many
years until her retirement in 2008. Mrs.
Killinger was a respected member of the
Montgomery Bar Association and she was
an inspiration to all the promising young
attorneys who walked through the door of
the courthouse to start their careers.
Mrs. Killinger was an inspiration to
me not only as a leader and litigator in
the DA's office, but also as a mother - a
mother of three boys, that is. It is almost
fitting that I went on to have three boys
myself and I often think of her and her
advice and guidance on how to balance
work and family. Her family noted in her
obituary that she was a strong presence
at swim meets, sports events and school
functions all while balancing an amazing
career. I, too, have prided myself on
searching for that work/family balance
and think of her frequently when times
can get tough especially trying to find that
right balance during this global pandemic
when both work and family have collided
24 hours a day.
Mrs. Killinger was kind, smart and the
utmost professional. And although our
office and the personnel has changed over
the years, her memory continues to live
on through the corridors of the 4th floor.
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