By Stacey Moncrieff, Editor in Chief, REALTOR® Magazine

Last week, I wrote a post about Ebby Halliday’s 100th birthday. In it, I said you needed to know Ebby to understand why her birthday was such a big deal. Well, for those who don’t know Ebby, I thought I’d share an interview we did with her back in 2006 for a book commemorating the NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS®‘ centennial. When you read the interview, I think you’ll be struck by how on top of her game Ebby was when we talked with her, just before her 96th birthday. She was just as sharp two years later, in 2008, when NAR celebrated its centennial. At a gala where she was the honored guest, Ebby played her trademark ukelele and sang her own personal tribute to NAR.

But before you read the interview, check out this slide show I put together from the Feb. 23 birthday bash. The photos were provided to me by Charles McMillan, who attended the event, and Victoria Shapiro, one of the organizers. Question: Was I ever as firm as those Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders? Answer: no!

To view the photo captions in the slideshow: click play, expand to full-screen using the button in the lower right corner, then click on “show info” in the upper right corner.

OK, here’s the interview, which was conducted by one of our former editors, Barbara Ballinger. The context of the interview is this: Throughout the book, we included profiles of “giants” in the real estate industry. Ebby was one of the giants. Our interview with her ran in a section of the book in which we were describing the significance of multiple listing services–thus, the reference to MLSs in the lead: Continue reading »