October 17, 2006
Dear Classmates,

I’m writing you as red and yellow leaves sweep across my front lawn. My flower garden is all sticks and stubble, except for one determined late-blooming aster. I’ve never enjoyed the onset of fall but, once it’s here, I savor the season. This autumn however has reminded me of several recent losses I’ve experienced, each with a Skidmore connection.

A special friend in the class of 1962, Sissy Beadel Danforth, died in April after a valiant fight against colon cancer. Eleanor Galant, the dear, smiling, soignee wife of Professor Henry Galant, head of the Government Department when we were at Skidmore, died early this summer after a long struggle with heart disease. Then in late summer my college roommate’s mother, Toni Riley, also died.

Each of these deaths reflect my deep ties to Skidmore – one, a friend I met in Moore Hall freshman year and with whom I later shared books and travel adventures; one, the wife of my favorite professor who always had a welcoming hug when I came back to reunion; one, the mother of one of my best pals at Skidmore, with whom I enjoyed an unforgettable winter weekend in New York City in the early ‘60s.

Each of you has perhaps had a poignant loss in the past year. At this stage of our lives, similar losses will only multiply. One way that I handle them is by donating to Skidmore, either to a special college scholarship or to the Annual Fund. I ask you to consider doing the same.

Whether you donate $50 or $500, or more, your gift can make a difference to Skidmore. It can also honor the memory and salute the spirit of a treasured person in your life. Thanks for what you can give to Skidmore this year.

All the best,

Val

Valerie Burkhardt Marier
Class President & Reunion Chair