Many of you will remember our March 2001 cover, pictured here.

It shows my regional controller at ImageMax, Cheryl Eakin, sitting in her office surrounded by her Dale Jarrett souvenirs and NASCAR publications. Cheryl was a typical NASCAR fan and a dedicated employee.

Late last year Cheryl was diagnosed with a brain tumor, something that she had already defeated once at the tender age of 18.

In November, through the courtesy of Amy Harrison and Fleetwood, we had made arrangements for Cheryl to meet her NASCAR idol at the Louisville show. The tumor was growing, her condition was worsening, and the doctors would not allow her to travel. As it turned out, Dale could not make the Louisville show due to changes in the racing schedule caused by the 9-11 tragedies.

Everybody should have employees like Cheryl. Her excitement and enthusiasm were something we looked forward to every day that she was with us. Her constant smile and the way she enjoyed life, despite the challenges it threw in her way, were a profile in courage and motivation for all of us to try to do better.

Cheryl passed away in February, just a day after her twenty-fifth birthday.

A life cut short by cancer, as many others are each day. Cheryl had completed her course work and would have received her MBA in May. In July, she was going to marry her childhood sweetheart, who she had known for fourteen of those twenty-five years.

She ’s an angel now. We were fortunate to have known such a wonderful woman, We were blessed to be able to share her short time on earth and learned so much from the way she lived her life and faced the challenges presented to her.

It is always difficult to comprehend such tragedies and even harder when they are dedicated employees who loved coming to work each day. Cheryl beat the odds with her first brain tumor, but couldn't beat it a second time.

We will rededicate our efforts in her honor and never forget how much she meant to our ImageMax team.

For those of you who never had a chance to meet her, you really missed someone very special.

There ’s one more angel in heaven today, and her name is Cheryl.