US & Canada Branch Treasurer and former
Council
Member
Cathy
grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, then moved to St. Paul,
Minnesota to attend Macalester College, an institution with
Scottish roots where she first began her love of the bagpipes.
She lives in that area today and regularly participates in
local Scottish events. She retired from 3M Company after
working for 35 years in pharmaceutical research. Her husband
is also retired from 3M. They have 3 adult children and 2
grandchildren.
Her
introduction to Clan MacThomas goes back to 1993 when her
father, a Society member, initiated a family trip to Scotland
to attend a clan gathering in Glenshee. Not really knowing
what was ahead of them, the trip was memorable for the seven
family members who attended, from being in the beautiful area
where their ancestors lived, to the feeling of kinship that
was evident among the attendees. Cathy joined the Society that
year and purchased her first piece of tartan. After being
named a state representative for the Society in Minnesota in
1999, she became active in the local Scottish community,
representing the Clan at local highland games and other
Scottish events. She attended the first US Branch gathering in
Albuquerque in 2000, and has attended several others since.
One thing she has learned about Society gatherings, wherever
they are held, is that while you may arrive as strangers, you
will leave as friends. In 2004, Cathy was named Convenor of
the US Branch which has since merged with the Canadian Branch
to form the US and Canadian Branch. She retired from this role
in 2013 and became the Branch Treasurer. She is also member of
the Minnesota Coalition of Scottish Clans and volunteers at
the Scottish American Center in Minneapolis.
The photograph
on the right shows Cathy at the 2008 Gathering at the
Cockstane in Glenshee.
