A couple of years ago, I got a rather random call on my business phone. Unlike my regular calls from product vendors or salespeople (or occasionally a potential client) this was a young woman’s voice, quite tentative.

“Is that Nick Malik?”

I confirmed that she had, in fact reached me. But then came the odd question:

“Are you a relative of Mary Wolf?”

I was dumbfounded. That was my maternal grandmother’s maiden name.

“Yes, that’s my grandmother’s name.”

She pressed on “Is that the same Mary Wolf who earned a business degree from Ohio State University in 1918?”

At this point, I was glad I had created a genealogy chart for my family. But this was the most curious call I’d ever had.

“Yes, I think so.”

It turns out the Fisher College of Business at Ohio State was going to celebrate their 100th Centennial. This young woman was trying to get information on Mary Wolf, the first woman to graduate from the OSU college of business.

I knew it was unusual for a woman to attend a public university in those days. I did not know she was the FIRST WOMAN to graduate from the OSU College of Business.

Of course my beautiful Grandmother had passed away many years ago, but her eldest daughter, my aunt, was still alive. Her son had contacted me on Facebook a few years ago, so I looked him up and passed along contact information on my aunt for her to get some biographical details.

This young woman had found me from an old article on a defunct blog where I mentioned my parents. Somehow she had tracked down my mother (a published author, artist, and poet) (who had passed away) and then managed to find me by googling her name, then my name, then found my business site. TENACIOUS!

The nice young woman sent me a set of coasters from OSU and a box of Buckeye chocolates as a thank you. The real thanks was finding out what a pioneer my grandmother was.