I’ve refrained from saying anything but hope her husband will forgive me this personal post. Now we get into the southern thing. Nanny’s husband’s sister was a great friend to her. As a new member of the family I’d heard stories of this smart, elegant lady. She was a force to be reckoned with, a human tornado, all in the best sense. This post does not cover anything but my impressions.
Finally, after a year or two of marriage, the immediate family hosted a surprise party for Jim’s younger brother’s 30th birthday. We’d spent a couple of days cooking and the last day moving everything to the site and finalizing the dishes for 100 guests. Near the end of service, I was sweaty and not fit to mingle with fellow guests when a woman walked in the door. The crowd hushed. Hair done, fully made up, jewel-toned suit, VJ walked in and made her way to the kitchen.
I knew it was her when she walked into the room. She walked up to me and said “You must be Dee. I’ve wanted to meet you.” I responded in kind. Last year I organized a concert for Nanny’s birthday and VJ and her dear husband were the subterfuge to get Nanny to the surprise venue. A few months later she was gone.
When I was growing up, there were very few female role models to look up to, and mine were Amelia Earhart, Eleanor Roosevelt, Annie Oakley (she was the only one with a book I could read), Maria Tallchief and Isadora Duncan. If I’d been VJ’s student she would have been my role model. There are more female role models, but most are not on the news or easily found. My violin, piano and choir teachers are hidden gems and some are still in touch 40 years later.
Perhaps men have been taught to mentor in a business-specific way. Women do it their own way and it’s not acknowledged or women are not allowed to go above that glass ceiling to have the “right” to mentor others. That said, there have been many female mentors in my life and I’m glad that VJ provided that gift for her students. Please join me in a heartfelt thanksgiving to her immediate and extended family. Dee
Cooking with Dee 