Friends and family of Atlanta mayoral candidate Mary Bush Norwood say the Augusta native has shown an aptitude for leading since she was young.

Mrs. Norwood, who is facing a Dec. 1 runoff, would be Atlanta's second female mayor. A civic-minded person since her youth, her roots of helping others go back to her days attending St. Mary on the Hill and Augusta Prep.

"Mary Bush has always been a leader. You can ask anyone anywhere she has ever been," said her mother, Frenchie Bush. "She has been a leader since she was a child."

One of six children and part of a large extended family, Mrs. Norwood became involved in the Augusta community at a young age, aiding her parents after they helped found Historic Augusta and the Georgia Trust for Historic Preservation.

"She was in the back of the truck when she was about 12 years old," her mother said. "That's the kind of person she's always been."

Mrs. Norwood has always tried to help others, said Bertha Toole, whose children went to school with her at St. Mary on the Hill.

"Even then, she was always a leader -- cheerful, energetic and enthusiastic," Ms. Toole said. "She was a humanist, interested in everyone. If she saw a need, she didn't rest until it was filled."

When Mrs. Norwood became active helping clean up Atlanta before the 1996 Olympics, Ms. Toole said she wasn't surprised.

"She took on that challenge and got it done," she said.

A cousin, Augusta attorney Jack Long, described Mrs. Norwood as positive, articulate and vivacious. He said he believes she will win the Atlanta race because of a broad base of support

"I think she is going to win, and I think she will make a big difference in not just Atlanta but all of Georgia," Mr. Long said Saturday.