Why you have stayed engaged with Emma Willard School? 
Going to Emma and having four full years as a boarding student was one of the best things I ever did for myself in my life. That time was a period of tremendous growth for me. I had a bit of a tough family life, and joining this new community, with its strong academics combined with an incredibly supportive faculty and administration, helped me learn to become my own person. When I think back to how much all of them nurtured me in different ways—gently challenging me at times, yet always encouraging me—I am still amazed. On top of that, there were all these adolescent antics they put up with! I was there for the tail end of the Bill Dietel era, and the school itself had gone through amazing transitions of its own in the 1960s. It was a very energetic time, full of hope and promise. I am so grateful for the education, the care, and the support I received at Emma. It fostered my inquisitiveness, my independence, and my aspiration to be a thoughtful contributor to my community.

How has Emma Willard influenced the person you are today?
Virtually all my teachers launched me on the road to becoming a much better critical thinker. I had the opportunity to experiment with the arts, especially photography, and to develop a passion for things I loved to do that weren’t necessarily part of a formal curriculum. As a junior, I took the lead to organize events and programs for the very first national Earth Day in 1970, and my initiative to was respected. In short, I had so many opportunities to explore and to grow. I deeply appreciated the tremendous friends and classmates with whom I had long conversations, sometimes deep into the night. Overall, I think the rich and respectful experience of community on campus during those years helped me to appreciate the importance of civic discourse and the value of seeking “the public good.” My desire to be a “good citizen” may have roots in my personality, but it was certainly nurtured at Emma and I think that is important today.

What do you hope to see Emma Willard accomplish with your support?
That is so easy to answer! As a scholarship student myself, I depended upon substantial financial aid to be able to attend EW. In addition, I worked many additional jobs, both during the school year and summers, to help pay my tuition. I know how important every drop of aid is. I am so grateful for the life-changing experience I had, and want to help open up those same opportunities for other deserving young women.

And then there is the fantastic historic campus that deserves care, maintenance, and “preservation.” But that is not a static proposition. Isn’t it fabulous to see the former chapel, originally born as the gymnasium, now become part of the Alice Dodge Wallace ’38 Center for the Performing Arts, featuring the Klingenstein Concert Hall? What a great example of adaptive re-use this is—of taking a beautiful historic building, preserving its architectural character, and renovating it for a new era! All this takes money—certainly for basics such as bricks and mortar, but it also requires investments for achieving excellence in planning and architectural redesign. I am so lucky to have a wonderful husband, Roger Boothe, who served as the Director of Urban Design for Cambridge, MA, for 35 years, and he has taught me much about the complexities of architecture as it also shapes community. We both care deeply for the historic EW campus and are thrilled to support this very important goal.

What or who inspired the generosity of your support and service to Emma Willard School?
I would love to be able to go back and have a conversation with each and every one of the key teachers, houseparents, and senior administrators who helped me find my own path, and just say “Thank you!” There were so many of them, in different roles—Bill Dietel, Ben Shute, John Willis, E.C. Spears, Jack and Marcia Easterling, Jane Kirstel—I could go on and on and on. And all these key figures in my young life were all pretty different people in their own right. So, I think one unique aspect of Emma Willard for all of us who attended has been the opportunity to find the “elders” who click with our needs in multiple and different arenas. As part of that, having faculty who live on campus is so valuable. Most had their doors open to me, and were very welcoming when I needed to talk about some issue, whether intellectual or personal.

I also think the context of the school in its entirety, with its striking and unique campus, inspires many of us. “Ye gray walls protecting” is just one the emotions it evokes. This beautiful campus does make us feel safe. It also exudes sturdiness and strong character. It seems noble in the best sense of the word. And then there are those wonderful Gargoyles to make us laugh and ask us to not always take ourselves so seriously. It is no wonder some notable films have been shot here.

What excites you about the future of this school?
Wow! It is clear that we are facing very challenging times—for our country, for democracy and freedom, for the sustainability of life on this planet as we know it. And we still live in a very male-dominated world. Yet, it is interesting to see, in my lifetime, so many strong female leaders who have arisen both globally and locally—here and abroad. While there have always been exceptional women throughout history, increasingly women are having a big positive impact in the public sphere and in their communities. I don’t want to stereotype the capacity for leadership as being female or male. But I believe having more women “in the room” is critical to solving the huge problems we face, and that it very often improves the deliberative process. We need many more women leaders at every level of politics and society, so that we can address the pressing challenges of our age. Emma Willard provides a foundational education for these young women and for that future.