A Legacy of Leadership and Love: An Interview with Hope Blackley

In this compelling episode of "The Lady in Red: Inspiring a New Generation," host Kenneth Myers Sr. sits down with Hope Blackley, the Spartanburg County Clerk of Court, to discuss MaryAnn Riley's remarkable impact on her life and career. As a mentor and mother figure, MaryAnn has provided Hope with invaluable advice and unwavering support, professionally and personally.

Hope shares her heartfelt experiences and observations about MaryAnn's leadership style, dedication to the Republican Party, and tireless efforts in the community. Listeners will hear about MaryAnn's relentless energy, ability to bring people together, and commitment to helping others, regardless of their background.

Throughout the interview, Hope highlights the qualities that make MaryAnn a great leader and role model, including her honesty, positivity, and high standards. The conversation also delves into MaryAnn's involvement in various community initiatives, generosity, and ability to inspire others to achieve greatness.

Join us as we celebrate MaryAnn Riley's life and legacy through the eyes of one of her closest mentees, Hope Blackley. This episode is a testament to the profound influence MaryAnn has had on those around her and serves as an inspiration for future generations of conservative women.

Tune in to "The Lady in Red: Inspiring a New Generation" and be inspired by the leadership, love, and dedication stories defining MaryAnn Riley's extraordinary journey.

Transcript

0:05

I love enough to tell you the truth, and I respect you enough to give you the facts. I'm here today with Ms. Hope Blackley, Spottonburg County Clerk of Court, and we're talking about Ms. Mary Ann Riley. She's a great person in the community. Everybody knows she's had numerous awards and achievement. And so, Ms. Hope, let's talk about what makes Mary Ann Riley great, but first of all, can you share with us your relationship with Mary Ann Riley? How has that impacted your life personally and politically? Mary Ann has affected my life personally and politically by just being a mother figure. I met Mary Ann upon my appointment, the day of my appointment. She walked up to me and said,'Hello, I'm Mary Ann Riley, and I hear you're going to be our new clerk of court, and welcome to Spottonburg.' I don't think she knew my background. I told her,'I shared with her that I was from Spottonburg, and I was happy to return back home.' And ever since that day, she has been in my life, advising me both professionally and personally, and it's been great; sage advice throughout my career here at Spottonburg. Okay. Ms. Mary Ann Riley, I consider her as the bunny rabbit, full of energy, moving and going everywhere. Here's your experience. Share your experience on the numerous things that she do about the community of Spottonburg. Mary Ann Riley, who I affectionately refer to as mom, she insists that I call her mom and my daughter, my 70-year-old daughter, refers to her as mom as well. She's all over the place in a great way. She is at every Republican event. If she's not in charge of it, she's there, speaking of positivity and just being a great supporter of our community. Our community and our Republican Party, and making sure that folks are educated about the Republican Party. But there's no place she won't drive to or be in attendance to. And I've seen that firsthand. You could always count on when Ms. Zora Messinger was alive, both Ms. Mary Ann Riley and Ms. Zora being president at any event, whether it was in Spottonburg, Columbia, Charleston, or D.C., or wherever. They were there. Well, Ms. Riley shared with me that she has been involved with the women, Spottonburg women, Republican women, for a half a century, 50 years. And during that time, she's been a leader most of the time. She shared with us what you've observed about her leadership style and the qualities that make her a great leader in this community. She's a very positive person, a very honest person. And someone who says,'She says what she means, and means what she says.' You can best believe that what she says; you can take it all the way to the bank. And it'll actually draw interest much faster than probably a lot of other people's words. But she sets a standard of excellence. And I think she demands that of other people, which I think is great because sometimes we have a tendency to slack off. But she expects nothing but top, high-level advocacy. And support for the Republican Party, and especially for females and women. She has been a role model to me and a confidante, someone who I will ask for advice from and definitely will use that advice because she has never been wrong on anything she has discussed with me and any directives that she's given me, which I think has earned her a huge level of respect from all Republicans, but definitely women. And she's a great role model for any Republican woman. Well, it's been my observation that she is a good steward of her leadership and her influence. I've noticed that she's calm, she doesn't get angry, she's persistent, and that people are attracted to her from all walks of life. I even saw her at Operation Standout, I think, before the veterans. She was feeding the homeless. She was feeding the veterans. Everybody was just attracted to her. She was serving collard greens, fried chicken, and Kool-Aid. And so from that experience, it showed me the reach that she had for reaching people from all walks of life. Can you speak to the greatness of Ms. Mary Ann Riley as it regards to bringing people together and getting people to focus on a common goal or a common issue? Well, she just - she has - she's full of energy, as you know. But I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I, I'm totally in need of Kool-Aid. It is my personal opinion and belief that Mary Ann does not see color. She definitely wants the good for every common man. That's what you get. She has been nothing but positive towards me, and I actually feel like I'm her daughter. I mentioned earlier that she considers me her daughter, and that's what we're out.

She'll say: 5:19

'There is my daughter.' You know, if someone doesn't know the situation, we will look into it. She was like,'Yeah, don't we look like that?' - she'll make a joke,'don't we look alike'? And you know, I take that all in stride because I think it's a compliment to me that someone of her stature and her vision and what she's done in life, and especially being a former elementary school teacher, she has come into contact and affected so many lives. I think it started there and it's just transcended and become a greater sense of pride for her to make sure that everyone that she reaches, she touches, she actually touches. You know, we come into contact with people quite often and it's just in passing and there's no significance behind those interactions, but with her, there is some significance behind any interaction you're gonna have with Mary Ann Riley. And that is why she is revered as such a leader. She is someone who has compassion and will be wise enough to tell you the truth whether you want to hear it or not. Okay. When I interviewed Ms. Neal, Ms. Mary Ann Riley, she shared with me that earlier in her life, she was an elementary school teacher and that she taught third grade. And she told me numerous stories of how she advocated for her students, and how she genuinely cared; she had a high expectation. But the thing that she told me that impressed me the most was her expectations were so high that she said she taught third graders the Constitution. And so that tells you how committed she is to what she believed in. Yes. And from teaching third-grade years ago, to being a leader in the women Republicans in Spartanburg, that speaks volumes about how Cobra Bag is not changing over the years. They definitely, I don't know her back when she was teaching school, but I can only imagine because I'm still learning from her. She's still teaching me and my 17-year-old daughter loves her. And when Mary Ann talks, we listen. She actually persuaded my mom to take her seat or run for her seat on the foster care review board. On the other hand, I thought this was never going to happen. But it did happen, and my mom is actually now, was voted in and serves in her former seat on the foster care review board. And they are actually quite a fond of each other. But they have common personalities that I think mesh and have benefited from that. And we're talking someone who grew up as a Democrat, but has loved Mary Ann Riley and thinks very highly of her. And they actually think very highly of each other, but it's because of her gentle nature, but effective nature. Often when I talk to folks, they always tell me that out of all she's accomplished and all of her leadership skills, she always gives other folks the credit. Yes. And so I think that speaks to the type of personality she has and the type of person she is, that she's not doing it for attention. She's doing it for the good of all. Yeah. I see Mary Ann every, every, every, every, every day. Not every day, but every holiday, car loaded down. That's when she had that little green camera with the American flag flying out the side of the window. And you, if you saw around town, that's who that was. And she doesn't have that car anymore. Loaded down with gifts, not many people knew that, but her and Wayne, Mr. Wayne Riley, provided Christmas gifts to hundreds and hundreds of youth around Spartanburg County quietly and unsuspectingly. Quietly and unsuspectingly. And I think that these people, or these children, were served because she wanted to make sure that they had a great holiday on her own accord, not on any other accord, but on her own accord. When I met her at the stand-down, she said that she was taking care of a newborn. Yes. And so that I looked at her, I said,'Wow, that takes courage, that takes love, that takes a commitment and sacrifice.' Yes. At her age. But she's done it, and I'm aware of that situation, Mom, and Wayne stepped right in and took that situation and made it right and helped the family out. And that's just her. That's just them. That's their hearts. And I was able to make sure that they; if I said,'if you need anything, you call me', and they've called a couple of times, and we've helped each other out. But that's the good nature of what the rallies, especially MaryAnn have. Yeah, I think from what you just shared with us, that in general. through her personal life she's been a role model for a lot of folks on what family should be and what commitment uh should be and so um i don't know whether what i've done her justice have i missed asking asking you anything that would give us a different perspective she does so much a different angle on some of the things that mary ann riley has done this community i don't know if we if there are enough hours in a day to discuss everything i could see him talk to you all day about mary ann riley she's just she's just a good-hearted person um very active you know when you see her coming you would have no idea that this lady will get in the car and drive 10 hours by herself if need it be um to to to show up to a republican event and make sure that there is good good representation uh any and all republican events around the county you can best believe mary ann riley is going to be there if she's even if she's not in charge she nine times out of ten is in charge of the event or running the event has something to do with planning it she is i don't know where she gets her strength From outside, God bless her, but she has that physical strength to go in and decorate to print the programs to drive across the state. I mean, there's nothing that I don't think this woman can't do. And I am so forever grateful that God allowed our paths to cross because she has tremendously influenced my life. I cannot put into words what I feel about this woman. That was another young lady who I felt, uh, is equally uh, affection for was Lily Linderman. And those two ladies, Marianne Riley and Lily Linderman, were my ladies. When they spoke, you listened, and had a great deal of respect for Summerville County and our Republican Party. And uh, took me around. Marianne took me around, introduced me to folks when I got down um, and made everyone familiar with me and made me familiar with everyone else, yeah. And she didn't have to do that; she didn't have to care; she didn't have to care enough to know that when I came here, I walked into a mess, and said,'Hey, I'm gonna come and help you.' And she, she did. She almost worked a full-time job volunteering in the clerk of court's office, helping us to raise the bar and set the standard higher for providing the service that we provide. And I don't think we would be where we are today had it not been for her help as well as the help of a couple. Others, but she uh, she just, she didn't, she didn't talk. She shows you and that's important this day and age people there's a lot of talk around especially in the party, but she actually will show you and she takes the action well. I can honestly say that most not most all the folks we talk to echo the same remarks that you do. That Miss Marianne Riley is a great person in this community. She's a great republican woman. She's a role model for young girls, young men. I think everybody that would like to serve their community and so, Miss Hope, I thank you for taking time out of your busy day uh to share with us some of the stories. I know it's a Lots that we didn't get, maybe later on we can come back again, please yeah, but anytime, but we're about uh telling the story of the greatness of Miss Mary Ann Riley. So I'm your host, Kenneth; my senior, I love you enough to tell you the truth and I respect you enough to give you the facts. Thank you.