I met Alice in the twilight of her life, through First Church Unitarian in Littleton. We shared a passion for social justice. Around 2012 or so we took a class together on White People Challenge Racism at Cambridge Adult Ed, and drove together to the class each week. I got to know Alice better. She told me about her career, that in the 1950s, she trained as a computer programmer, which was expected to be “women’s work” because of the keyboarding required !!! I love that she was a pioneer on what must’ve been a difficult journey. I often share her accomplishment with people.
I admired Alice’s criteria for choosing her last apartment, because she could continue taking classes and be around young people. And it was near another UU church, where she had the courage to join a new community.
Alice showed me how to age gracefully, stay active in important causes, and find a place in a church community — and contribute. She inspired me with her positive outlook, quiet determination and dedication to social justice that she backed up with ACTION.
May you rest in peace, Alice.
Thank you so much for sharing your memories of my mom; it’s really great to hear from people outside of the circle we had as family, and learn how she was in the greater world.