First woman mayor of Florida Keys recognizes Mary
Mary Barley is a friend of the Keys and an Honorary Conch. That's what Wilhelmina G. Harvey, the first woman mayor of the Florida Keys, says, in inducting Mary into a special and loved group of Keys residents.
The text accompanying her recognition reads:
Whereas the thrice-blessed residents of the Isles of, The Eternal Sun belleve It only fair and proper to share their good fortune, they do hereby declare Mary Barley to be a clear-thinking kindred soul, eminently worthy to be an Honorary Conch and Citizen of The Fabulous Florida Keys and as such entitled, from this day forward, to enjoy to the fullest the bounteous pleasures and privileges so lavishly bestowed upon the Florida Keys by nature, and so artfully supplemented by the works of man.
Pure, smog-free, pollen-free, never-chilled air; superb fishing from bridges, beaches or boats; unparalleled swimming and frolicking in the crystal waters of the Atlantic, or the Gulf of Mexico; gourmet dining on such delicacies as Florida Keys Lobster, Shrimp, Green Turtle Steak and Key Lime Ple; the wriggling of toes in warm sand as the rest of the world hurries by; and, most important, acceptance as an equal by the world's friendliest people.
These shall be the prerogatives of The Honorary Conch, and let no man interfere with the pursuit thereof. Know Ye, then, that even though it be by adoption; the above is henceforth and forevermore One of Us.
Signed, Wilhelmina G. Harvey, Mayor Monroe County, Florida, “a 4th Generation Conch and 1st woman mayor of the Fabulous Florida Keys”