So The N&O business staff talked to local corporate leaders about their summer plans. Are they vacationing as normal, or scaling back in light of the gloomy economy and gas above $4 a gallon? We found an emphasis on family and friends -- along with some real adventure seekers. For good measure, we asked about favorite summer songs (a beach theme was revealed), lessons from first jobs, what is on their summer reading lists (heavy on business) and how they were staying connected to the office (BlackBerries on the beach rule).

Cynthia Marshall, 48, president of AT&T North Carolina, recently spent a week on Paradise Island in the Bahamas. She spoke at an N.C. Bankers Association conference about her rise from housing projects in California to high school valedictorian and a full scholarship to the University of California at Berkeley to study business administration.

"I had to make a vacation out of a speaking request, because that's the only way I could carve out the time this summer to take a vacation. Work is very busy with trips and other stuff. Although I was the keynote speaker on Monday and attended the banquet on Tuesday and participated in the N.C. Bankers' Association convention, I paid for everything so that I could use it also as a vacation."

Favorite summer activity: Attending her children's swim meets or anything involving water ("As long as I'm not in it.") She also loves to shop for shoes. "I can't tell you how many pairs of shoes I have. My friends call me Imelda" Marcos. She also writes religious poetry.

Summer reading: "The Extraordinary Leader: Turning Good Managers into Great Leaders" by John H. Zenger and Joseph Folkman ($21.75, McGraw-Hill). "A lot of people are good managers, but it gives some tips on how to become a great leader. There truly is a difference. If I had to sum it up: Managers do things right, but leaders do the right thing."

Staying connected: "I keep in touch with the office via e-mail. Periodically, I will take about a call a day to handle something important while I'm relaxing. I do not travel with a laptop, because it's too cumbersome for me and not as portable and convenient as my BlackBerry. If I need something sent to me, I just have it faxed. I can read the document while I'm anywhere, including the chaise lounge near the pool."

First summer job: Working at Macy's in the lingerie department. "I learned that I liked business stuff more than engineering. I also learned that people will tell you almost anything when they are standing there purchasing underwear. It's as if they want to talk so you can forget what they are buying."

Summer songs: The Beach Boys' "California Girls" and "Under the Boardwalk" by The Drifters. "I spent many summer days at the Boardwalk in Santa Cruz, Calif."

(John Murawski)

Larry Robbins, a securities lawyer with Wyrick Robbins Yates & Ponton in Raleigh, and his wife, two daughters and two sons plan to spend a week at the beach. He will also take a short fly-fishing trip and spend a long weekend in New York to see the New York Yankees, his favorite major league baseball team, play during the last year in Yankee Stadium.

Staying connected: Robbins, 56, keeps in touch with the office via phone, BlackBerry and computer. He's alerted to voice mails through e-mail, which he usually checks in the morning and evening and sometimes during the middle of the day. There might be a day or so when he doesn't check e-mail at all.

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