The tragic news of the passionate loss of friend, sister, workmate, aunty, daughter, comrade, niece and the list goes on and on; was greeted with grimed faces by just everyone. Anguish, sorrow and in contrast - utter disbelief stunned all. At the individual cum persona level; some were shockingly mesmerized. The moment was petrified, anguished-incensed and dumb-founded by the breaking news that Florence B. Doe; a proficient, dutiful, diligent and ambidextrous Administrative Assistant/Documentation & Managing Officer to the Director General was called by her Creator.

In the late Florence B. Doe’s unassuming characteristic dogged by unpredictably – it was anybody’s guess to gauge precisely what manner of person she was. Smallish-looking and skinny in outlook - Florence Doe came to the fold of the then Bureau of Civil Aviation under the Ministry of Transport as a second year collegiate from the Stella Maris Polytechnic in early 2003. The American call it “rookie”; meaning pretty much a novice in the aviation business and that’s what she was. Surely, thousands of Liberians seem not to know what aviation is all about other than being spectators of flying aeroplanes in our skies – not knowing the dynamics.

But that could have been the story of any beginner either in government, corporate enterprise or as it were International Non-governmental establishment. The goalpost certainly changed with the passage of the 2005 Act – creating the Independent Liberia Civil Aviation Authority. Gone were those days when indolence, lack of productivity and ineptitude informed the conduct of doing business.

Florence Doe, like other colleagues in the entity awoke to the birth of a new leadership but little did they know that the tide of complacency and mediocrity was about to fizzle away and be buried. Compellingly and without any iota of hesitation - all and sundry within the new aviation ambit had to “dress-right-dress” in order to brace themselves for a new paradigm. Arguably, the substitution by elimination method surfaced as it were. Too many folks were seen loitering around in a supposedly workplace but doing virtually nothing after all. The initial atmosphere was frosty thus making the question of trust and credibility as reckoning and challenging ever.

The late Miss. Doe was engulfed into a working ambience, which had been characterized by dormancy and docility. Change was to come soon and she along with others had to buckle up. The matrix soon suddenly changed as the writings were on the wall. The new administration had set the benchmark to transform a somewhat inept organization into an emerging, modern, reassuring, strategic and productive management setup in the 21st century.

Amid the herculean task of getting factored into an entirely new aura of a modern organization mindset – Florence assertively and courageously rose to the occasion. Perfect, could not have been the right word but the tenacity to thrive, learn by the ropes and cultivate an open mind to new ideas proved all encompassing.  She was credited for acknowledging mistakes; a key ingredient to our human complexity and relevant recipe to galvanizing the resolve to make amends. She was always demanding about her personal development as a young and enterprising lady in the face of huge challenges to say the least.

Miss. Florence Doe was practically an LCAA all-rounder; although she specialized and earned meritoriously Suma Cum Laude from DeVry University - 2010 with emphasis in Documentation & Management, she had her finger in nearly every pie at LCAA. Florence Doe could intelligently discuss aviation security matters as a result of participating in series of U.S.-Transportation Security Administration-cushioned training courses. She became and Aviation Security Inspector by TSA standard and was certificated by the TSA as TOT and presided over several recurrent training courses.

She was also a proud recipient of ICAO-organized Integrated Safety Management Program Course. The late Florence Doe was a household word at the Regional Banjul Accord Group bi-annual Directors of Civil Aviation gathering during which she proficiently accurately served as rapporteur.

With her vast experience and expertise in the accounting software – Quick-book application; Florence Doe’s role was critical to ensuring the Accounts Department was up to speed with modernity. Flo, as she was admiringly called by her colleagues was ostensibly the fallback source of reference whenever CAA Chief Accountant encountered a glitch amid any constraints in quick-book application.

A cross-section of LCAA personnel who experience serious headache grappling with instant internet research on the job; saw the late Florence Doe as their pro bono ‘reservoir of knowledge’.   Without any doubt, her background in Documentation & Management positioned her as a critical proponent – who stood at crossroads - facilitating the development of various regulations in the areas of Flight Operations; Airworthiness; Communications & Navigational Aids; Aerodrome, and Aviation Security.

Administratively, Florence Doe went beyond being seen as one tucked into the frenzy of a typically technical organization like civil aviation but demonstrated an exceptional corporate posture and disposition in every sphere of her work. Smartly, she meticulously explored all sides to every question and constantly went after the truth. She wanted assigned tasks implemented discretely, candidly, delicately, responsibly, professionally and competently and promptly.

Florence was demanding when it came to the job that had to be done. No wonder; she remained in her office during extremely odd hours to meet deadlines, send and finalized dispatches. CAA personnel or guests traveling or seeking to travel at the 11th hour – had no reservations since Florence would make magic. Call it magic but that was the kind of exuberant personality that the organization has come to miss in so youthful a colleague.

Florence Doe’s dive aimed at searching for excellence and the truth was about her extraordinary role to cross-examine multiple requisitions coming out of various departments to match such request first with reality; organizational necessity or priority; and secondly to establish the budgetary correlation amid competing priorities. Most often than not – Miss. Doe’s firm – no nonsense and pragmatic approach in dealing with such issues were misconstrued by affected departments.

It was not about any personal decision, biases or prejudices as it were but one seen organizationally as prudently placing the horse before the cart. She was indeed a great organizer, team leader with a firmly held mindset. She was unpredictable; the late Florence Doe severally defied illnesses to get LCAA’s work accomplished. Despite her workaholic attitude, she was a family person, a foster-mother and benevolent individual who remained a devout, baptized and confirmed Episcopalian until her sudden home-going.

Grimaced faces of heads of department did not really matter to the usually smiling Florence Doe; who mildly though yet broad mix-dimpled cheeks would attract a new lease of giggle on the part of once frowning colleagues. She once told this writer when he requested refund for expenditure made personally at the expense of the organization – “Look comrade, consider it a small contribution to your country and people. After all you profess to be a patriot. Do you agree – that is what nationalists do?” There was no point engaging in any form of discourse since we were caught pants down about our inclined nationalism.

LCAA’s administrative survival took place on the waist watch of the late Florence B. Doe. She became more that an Administrative Assistant to her boss the Director General of the Liberia Civil Aviation Authority; a simplistic but fastidious Director General by all standards. But the late Florence’s boss who has now being singularly left in the wilderness - cannot be left out of the mainstream of Florence Doe’s subsequent dramatic rise to fame, distinction, competence, productivity and proficiency. He saw in her the potential to excel and built upon it. Surely, he made no mistake as she eventually proved superb.

The late Flo’s boss played a mentoring role in it all. Over the years; the pairs succeeded in forging an incredible bond based on trust, care confidence, credibility and selflessness. It was indeed a painful moment for her boss when the news of such irreplaceable loss was received on the evening of October 25, 2011 at 9:55pm. He became dumb! It took consolation from senior government officials, diplomats, the Office of the Vice President and President to console the late Florence Doe’s boss – who regarded his late aide as “a backbone”.