A Past President gets in touch...

I recently heard from Barbara Levy, a former SAGA National Board member and Past President (1987-88) who wrote as she had read my article ‘A Special Day Trip’ in the latest issue of SAGANews (Volume 35 #2).

Barbara says:

“I recently brought my copy of SAGANews to my Jersey shore home in anticipation of a mid-July visit from some long time SAGA friends.  As I started to flip through the magazine, it fell open to your above mentioned article and I delighted at the picture of Nellie, Sarah and Mimi.  I was excited!  I was lucky enough to visit the Lacis museum in May, specifically so I could see the exhibit.  My daughter lives about an hour from Berkeley, so I knew this was a no brainer for me.  I called the museum on Thursday, the day before my planned visit, to check on the hours of the exhibit.  I was told it was open from noon to four.  So with friend and sister-in-law in tow, we drove to Berkeley.”

Unfortunately Barbara had been given misinformation and the exhibit was not open, but after some name dropping (she knows Nellie, Sarah and Mimi) shop owner Jules was called and returned to open the exhibit and give the tour.

Nellie Durrand, Sarah Douglas, Jules Kliot and Mimi Ahern

Barbara continues:

“Every other customer in the shop came upstairs and Jules was in his glory.  Of course, I could have told way more about the exhibit, but after the fracas, I decided to be polite and excited.  I loved it!!  It was so much nostalgia for me and I was awe struck by the smocked art.  I was just wishing that I could have been there when the three ladies were present.  Jules reported that they were so excited to see each other.

At any rate, I took many photos.  I plan to share them with my SAGA friends when I see them in July.  The ladies coming to frolic in the Atlantic Ocean are Bonnie Patton from outside Milwaukee, another national past president, Cary Jenkins from Birmingham, Alabama, a national treasurer and region representative and Regina Stewart from Long Island, New York, also a past president.  SAGA has such a way of keeping friendships going.  We may not speak for months at a time, may not see each other for a couple of years and the conversation just picks up where we left off.  I know the exhibit will be an animated source of conversation.

We have not attended convention in a while, (and some of us really no longer smock) but our continued bonds have SAGA written all over them.”

 

Thank you for this piece, Barbara and how true that the common bond of smocking makes wonderful, long lasting friendships.

I hope that many more of you have had the chance or are planning a visit to the Lacis Museum and double check the opening times before you go!!