Onyx Spring-Summer 2017

successful both at home and on the job, she says the design work gave her the ability to do both. “I really wanted to be a working mother, not just working,” she says. Looking back on the beginning of her career, Shelly credits her math professor Ellen Cunningham, SP, ’61 , now professor emerita, for pushing her while at The Woods. Sr. Ellen provided valuable lessons and a foundation in math that contributed to her becoming a savvy businesswoman. “The Woods provides a superior education to its students, which has not changed. It’s only gotten better,” she explains. “The lessons I learned in math are skills I use every day. I have to be able to think quickly. The math side of my brain and the creative side work well together.” That’s not the only successful collaboration. Shelly and Terry, high

create this,” she says. “We followed our heart, and we were not rigid with our career decisions. I think that is what people need to do. Take chances, not every one of them works out, but the easiest thing to do is stay in status quo and that’s just not fulfilling.”

school sweethearts from West Vigo High School, may have started their careers separately, but found success and happiness as business partners. Terry, who earned a degree from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, and Shelly both retired in their mid- 40s, but that did not last long. The couple began looking for a business in which they could work together. They decided to jump aboard the houseboat manufacturing business, operating Stardust Cruisers. Later, to increase their market share and resources, they merged with two other companies. TV stardom and boats that cost more than most houses are impressive, but Shelly stresses that hard work and passion, along with a little risk taking, can bring both personal and professional success, no matter what that may be. “I just feel very blessed to be able to

(L-R): Aff-ter Hours, intracoastal houseboat, featured on The Travel Channel ; Michelle “Shelly” Maher Aff ’81 and husband Terry relaxing on the stern; A view of the beautiful kitchen and living area of one of Aff's houseboats. ( Photos courtesy by Wade Upchurch.)

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