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To friends
Juan and Rosie Gutierrez, Anna Maria was a constant
source of amazement. "Anna had a special quality
about her, a don, people would do things for her that
they would never even consider doing for somebody
else. And Anna would never let them down. I have
enormous respect for her business savvy, her drive,
and her will power. She was irresistible," Juan
says.
As a
publisher, she was very demanding. "Anna was a
perfectionist," says her husband, Robert Bard.
"But she didn’t demand any more from others
than what she demanded of herself." The power of
the pen and its ability to create change appealed to
Anna Maria. She wanted to produce a publication that
promoted a positive and accurate image of Latinas.
"She was pretty much a no-nonsense type person,
you always knew how you stood with her," adds
Robbin. "She didn’t like wimpiness." It’s
no surprise then that the "Judge Judy"
television show made her roar with laughter.
Anna Maria’s
convictions prompted her to take on the arduous task
of publishing a start-up magazine for Latinas with
just her family’s support and an inheritance from
her father who passed away in 1991. She did this
because she was more than just an astute business
woman. She was also an advocate for Latino causes and
a dedicated role model.
What
motivated and incensed the young Latina was the lack
of information available about Latina professionals.
In the premiere issue, Anna Maria expressed her
thoughts in this way: "The contemporary Hispanic
woman has been virtually ignored by general market
media, and even the Hispanic media tends to
underrepresent the positive contributions made by
Hispanic women. To redress this state, and address the
needs of this growing market segment, LATINA Style
magazine was born."
Rosemary
clearly remembers Anna Maria’s desire to use her
magazine to make a difference in the lives of Latinas.
"Anna was definitely a lady with vision. She had
so many things she wanted to accomplish and
communicate out to Latinas through her magazine,"
she says.
The
essence of this young entrepreneur was exposed through
her energy and vitality. To her friends and family,
Anna Maria’s intensity was legendary. "She was
like a baby," recalls her husband. "You know
how babies go 100 miles an hour and then just
collapse? Anna was like that. She would work and work
and work until she just ran out of energy and then all
she needed was three hours of sleep and she was off
again."
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