Day 11 - utterly cool...
Started Day 11 with a morning jaunt to nearby neighborhood to Torrance to meet Tina Vanderjagt. Tina and I had shared some great emails, but she was quick to tell me that she really wasn't an alum (her opinion) because she only went to Guilco for 2 years. From her email: "Thanks for the communication. I'm not a graduate of Guilford: I only went for two years, but when I've told the school they keep treating me like an alumnus, so I quit trying to change their perception. I'm a junior at California State University Dominguez Hills online for my BSN in nursing. I've been a lead nurse on a telemetry unit at Torrance Memorial Medical Center for 18 years. I love my memory of Guilford. "
From the minute we walked through Tina's door, we knew beyond a shadow that this woman was a TRUE Guilfordian! It wasn't just that her '72 yearbook was out on the table, or the fact that she literally swung her door wide open to us (virtual strangers). It was her entire story, her vivid memories of Guilford days from her room - she was the last group to live in Founders - to her Quaker upbringing, to her understanding of the core values at Guilford, to serendipity memories - the entire package screamed Guilford authenticity.
Her parents were very involved in a CT Meeting. They hosted Kenyans and protested war and more - this was her childhood. They were happy for her to go to Guilford, where she wanted to study Russian, and did. She recalled a UNCG professor picking up she and some classmates to go to her house to study Russian. She wanted to do this because of her father's heritage. There was no program for her to really move into after two years, so she left Guilford. A person who doesn't believe in regrets, Tina moved on to study dance, get married, have children, run an apt. complex and then after a great experience with her own midwife, she decided to move into nursing. Now she is completing her BA for her own satisfaction. She lives a beautiful life with her family, and husband John who is an LA native.
Tina exudes integrity, curiousity, enthusiasm and a joy about life and what every moment has to offer. A Guilfordian? NO DOUBT.
From Tina's we drove back to Torrance to visit Dr. Eric Feit '88 at his office. Eric is a podiatrist specializing in ankle surgeries and wellness. Eric has been a loyal supporter of Guilford, especially focused on athletics and men's tennis. He was one of our top college players and still keeps in touch with his teammates. He is hoping to help plan a reunion next spring on campus. Eric spoke about his decision to go to medical school and how pivotal a connection that Frank Keegan facilitated for him was. Frank sent him to an alumnus in VA to talk to Eric about med school and podiatry. It was that meeting that solidified his decisions to pursue medicine in this way. Upon reflection, Eric said he would have been a bit more broad in his course selections, wishing he had pursued more of variety of his interests, and realizes he could have still gone into medicine had he been a history major, or something else. Eric understands and promotes the value of a liberal arts curriculum, and is especially grateful for the Guilford experience he had.
Could the day keep going? Yeah baby. It was off to dinner in Pasadena to meet Laura Myerchin-Sklaroff '04 and Najeeba Syeed-Miller '95. One of the great things about meeting several folks for dinner is seeing them make a connection, and this dinner followed suit. Nice to see Najeeba and Laura get connected as they both work with non-profits in the Pasadena and LA metro area. They also have the Claremont connection - Najeeba teaches there and Laura received her MA there. Connecting the dots? Priceless.
I especially love talking with alums who were involved with Senate (ok, yes, I was one of them too). You just get such an inside track by being on Senate and get to have conversations with alums and College leaders even moreso than the average student. It makes your loyalty fiercer and your instinct to protect "your Guilford" very intense. Laura was a super involved student, and worked hard to bring about positive change on campus. She had a special interest, as did Senate at that time, in the issues raised by having a larger adult student population. This continues to be a big issue at Guilford, now that our adult student numbers are even larger. We need alums like Laura to continue to be a part of the conversation and vision for the future as we address emerging challenges at our alma mater. We need Laura, and we need each of you!
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