I’m writing with the sad news of Alice Schafer’s transition. I always say that I was lucky to have had Alice, my third mother, who entered my life 22 years ago to accompany me in adulthood, always supporting me as I learned the dance of juggling teaching, parenting, writing.
From the first time I met Alice, I knew she was a special person: friendly, curious, intellectually alive, and someone with strong political convictions who didn’t lean “Democrat” or “Republican” — she leaned toward justice. One example among many: in the 1960s Alice and Bert (her husband) were deeply involved in fair housing work: they posed as interested apartment seekers to help uncover housing discrimination in Boston against Black and Brown people.
She was born in Brooklyn on November 22, 1933, an only child born to secular Jews (Ida was born in Ohio, and Lou was born in Russia). Though she never made a big deal of her work, she was a pioneer: one of the first women to work in computer programming/computer engineering in the 1950s, doing important, groundbreaking work.
Two weeks ago, she came to spend the weekend with us, bringing her beloved cat Babette, and our time was filled with absolutely lovely moments. She slept soundly for two nights in the mango room downstairs, where many of you have stayed as well.
I remember her joy, her laughter and her work in making the world a more just one. In October 2011, Alice, along with a group of her friends, visited the place in Boston where protesters from the Occupy Movement had settled. Her words are wonderful — “we’re gonna stay” — and her eruptions of laughter are so precious. They bring tears of sadness, but also tears of joy: my joy of having her in my life for the past two decades.
Here is the link to the short radio piece on this moment: https://www.wbur.org/news/2011/10/13/occupy-boston-profiles