The Neale Creamer Scholarship Fund was established by The Guild in honor of longtime Treasurer, Neale Creamer. | Neale Creamer Scholarship Fund Neale was part of the Guild long before I was but I was privileged enough to serve on the Board with him for the nine years; 4 on the Executive Committee on which Neale served as Treasurer. I would bet that in many non-profits, clubs, etc. the title of Treasurer is nothing more than that, a title at best and perhaps a mandatory stepping stone to reach the highest office. This was not the case with Neale. Neale was a home baker, an incredibly passionate one, and didn’t see his place at the top of the organization. Personally I’m happy for that because to put it simply he was just too good at filling the role he was in. Neale was the unsung hero, the twelfth man, a pillar of the organization. Neale brought more than a keen eye for details to the Guild. He wasn’t just our financial expert he was our legal expert as well. I have never met a more detail oriented person. The Board holds a monthly call and on those calls the first order of business is to approve the minutes from the prior month. The process is simple but starts by asking everyone if they have any comments or corrections to the minutes. Essentially the question should have been “Neale, do you have any comments or corrections?” because he almost always did. As a lawyer, Neale knew that the simplest wording mattered. That may not seem like much but it is a small reason why he was such an important part of the Guild. I don’t think I would have even considered the role of Chairman if Neale wasn’t by my side. I think it is easy for people to forget that the Guild is a legitimate not for profit business. It’s run like a business and is very careful about compliance with all of the requirements of being a business. I always joked that Neale would be the reason that we would always be on the straight and narrow, but truthfully it was no joke, I meant it and I valued it beyond words. Neale was not afraid to speak up and he always kept the best interests of the Guild at the forefront. When decisions had to be made I knew that I could always count on Neale to see beyond the bright lights of the idea and offer advice based on the long term outlook. This was priceless. My memories of Neale aren’t just of his role as described above. He was a baker like the rest of us. He was passionate about good food and good bread. He was a family man and we were lucky that he often shared the company of his lovely wife with our group. Death can be a difficult subject to deal with. For me I view it as a transition from the physical world to the spiritual world and if we keep the memories of those we cherish alive the truth is they never leave us. JEFF YANKELLOW |