Christina Carroll 1966-2004

Discussion in 'Alza' started by Anonymous, Jun 10, 2004 at 4:39 PM.

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  1. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    This past Wednesday, June 09, with a heavy heart I attended a memorial service for Christina Carroll in Lawrenceville, GA. While at times very, very sad, this service accomplished what many memorials seek to do, but few actually do; that is to truly celebrate the life of the memorialized.

    Mark Twain once said, "Let us endeavour so to live that, when we die, even the undertake will be sorry." Christina, more than anyone I have ever known, was the embodiment of this axiom.

    I met Christina at a departure gate in the Atlanta Airport in February of 1994. She and I, along with Dick Stone, were sharing a flight to San Francisco to begin a new career with an odd little company named Alza. This small group of people grew very close, very fast. In what may have been one of our first days together, Christina shared with the group that she had in the past couple of years been treated for Ovarian Cancer. She also shared the prognosis and implications of this event. The courage and heart she displayed as she bared her soul in front of this group of strangers may have been the spark that led to what many consider to be the finest pharmaceutical "culture" ever. Through the next years 8 years we worked together, played together, competed with each other, celebrated together, and cried together when the first of our group, Gary Slade, passed away. We agonized together over the Abbott deal, rejoiced when it was called off, and ended up working together as RD and DM during the years of tremendous growth between the Abbott deal and the JNJ deal. During this ramp up Christina did something extraordinary that I am just now beginning to appreciate. As most of you know, bringing a new hire into an organization may be the most important thing we do as a management group. Some managers and directors end up paralyzed and unable to make a decision because the implications are so significant. Hiring someone with experience gives us at least some guidelines but hiring a newbie with no experience is sometimes, at best a crap shoot. When I look back at the people Christina brought into her Atlanta Avenger district it amazes me how many people she brought into the organization with absolutley no experience. It is even more astounding when I see those people know and the tremendous impact they have made in such a short period of time. One only has to look at people like Suzy Porter, Adam Levine, Joe Wissman, and Angela Boyd (among many others) to grasp just how successful she was at bringing new talent into the field. I truly do not know if it was because she was able to spot pure raw talent or the fact that, once hired, she was able to quickly and completely meet their needs from a training standpoint and then, more importantly, create such an atmosphere of support, trust, and love that these people were absolutely and without question committed to not letting her down. This is just so rare in our world that many have never seen it. There are so many companies that could learn so much from Christina's life and, sadly, so few that would ever even consider it.

    Christina did endeavour so to live. While she acknowledged her health battles with us she never dwelled on it. She in fact, did just the opposite and celebrated each day fully and without limits. So much so that I don't think I ever truly comprehended just how courageous her battle was and just how victorious the outcome. She lived life on her terms and refused to be labeled by her struggle. She is now and forever my hero and I will never, ever forget her.

    Joe Liguori
     

  2. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Hi Joe,
    I hope this finds you and yours well! I'm so saddened to learn of Christina's passing. Your hearfelt words are on the mark. Thank you very much for sharing this. Would you please send me or call me with her families address. Warm Regards, Raub Beitel
     
  3. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Raub;

    Go to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution obits and search for Carroll. All pertinent info is listed. Hello to all.

    JL
     
  4. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Joe,
    Thank you. Signed the Guest Book. Talk with you in the near future. raub
     
  5. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Joe,
    Excellent memorial to Christina. She was one of a kind. She hired me when I needed hiring the most, and I hope I paid back her confidence in me ten fold. I will never forget her kindness, her professionalism, and her belief that if you hire good people to begin with, like Angela Boyd, Joe Wissman, Linda Brocking, Diana Martin, and Steve Mathis, you can trust them to get the job done. --David
     
  6. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Remind me not, remind me not, of those beloved, those vanished hours;
    When all my souls was given to thee;
    Hours that may never be forgot, Till time unnerves our vital powers, And thou and I shall cease to be.

    Can I forget - canst thou forget, when playing with thy golden hair, How quickly thy fluttering heart did move?
    Oh, by my soul, I see thee yet, with eyes so languid , breast so fair, And lips though silent breathing love.

    When thus reclining on my breast, those eyes threw back a glance so sweet, As half reproached yet raised desire, And still we near and neare prest; And still our glowing lips would meet, As if in kisses to expire.

    And then those pensive eyes would close, and bid their lids each other seek, Vailing the azure orbs below;
    While their long lashes' darkened gloss seemed stealing over thy brilliant cheek, Like raven's plumage smoothed on snow.

    I dreamt last night that love returned, and sooth to say that very dream was sweeter in it's fantasy,
    Than if for other hearts I burned, For eyes that never like thine could beam, in rapture's wild reality.

    Then tell me not, remind me not, Of hours, though which forever gone, can still a pleasing dream restore,Till though and I shall be forgot;
    And senseless, as the mouldering stone which tells us we shall be no more
     
  7. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Re: Christina

    Very sad to see this. Haven't looked on this Board for a couple years. She was a beautiful, sparkling, delightful lady. It was impossible not to like Christina. Very sad.
     
  8. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Re: Christina

    Remind me not, remind me not, of those beloved, those vanished hours;
    When all my souls was given to thee;
    Hours that may never be forgot, Till time unnerves our vital powers, And thou and I shall cease to be.

    Can I forget - canst thou forget, when playing with thy golden hair, How quickly thy fluttering heart did move?
    Oh, by my soul, I see thee yet, with eyes so languid , breast so fair, And lips though silent breathing love.

    When thus reclining on my breast, those eyes threw back a glance so sweet, As half reproached yet raised desire, And still we near and neare prest; And still our glowing lips would meet, As if in kisses to expire.

    And then those pensive eyes would close, and bid their lids each other seek, Vailing the azure orbs below;
    While their long lashes' darkened gloss seemed stealing over thy brilliant cheek, Like raven's plumage smoothed on snow.

    I dreamt last night that love returned, and sooth to say that very dream was sweeter in it's fantasy,
    Than if for other hearts I burned, For eyes that never like thine could beam, in rapture's wild reality.

    Then tell me not, remind me not, Of hours, though which forever gone, can still a pleasing dream restore,Till though and I shall be forgot;
    And senseless, as the mouldering stone which tells us we shall be no more
     
  9. ESB

    ESB Guest

    I just discovered the Alza board; I've never been much for perusing CP but am glad I found it.

    I am stunned and saddened at Christina's passing. I remember during an oncology meeting general session she shared her story with us all about her battle via a large meeting presentation screen. I remember thinking, "no way, no way can this beautiful, intelligent, vibrant, happy person ever leave us."

    Christina was one of my favorites at Alza. I actually have a pic of Christina, her sister and me at the ACES meeting in Maui, taken by the pro photographer Alza hired. It is a fantastic pic of Christina - tan, radiant with the happiest smile you'll ever see, with a beautiful Hawaii sunset in the background. I got it out last night and just looked at it for awhile, tears welling.

    Christina was so special, and certainly one of those that made Alza so special.
     
  10. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    As a founding member of Alza I worked very closely with Christine. These posts make me sad. She was a wonderful person. She truly represented Alza, as the heart and soul of the company was it's people like Christine and Gary Slade.

    Regards,
    Gary Fernandes, Chicago
     
  11. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Christina Carroll was "good as it gets." She was a first class act.
     
  12. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    Only two people with Alza affiliation attended her burial service, that disappointed me.
     
  13. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    I believe that Joe L., Joe W., Angela B., Dave H., and Rhianna all attended her funeral.
     
  14. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    You are incorrect, they may have attended a memorial service in Atlanta but they did not attend her burial service @ the cemetery in Asheville, N.C.
     
  15. Anonymous

    Anonymous Guest

    That is incorrect, none of those people attended her burial service.