1953

"And we'll shout her praises loud in every land, D ear old Dartmouth bless her name" is apropos this month's continuing saga of the Great Women of the Class of 1953. Meet JodyZimmerman, dedicated bride of Jack. Jody speaks fluent French, "parfait sans accent," sufficient to qualify her as a native speaker with Berlitz, and has spent a lifetime studying the language, the literature, the culture, and, most importantly, the French people. She was awarded her B.A. in French from Smith, and an M.A. in French from Middlebury and has conducted instruction in Connecticut over the years.

In her dedication to help raise the foreign language skills of this country significantly, Jody has pioneered a total immersion French program involving college students and other adults, with the program "in country" in France. The program is a trip to Provence, where the group resides in a villa in the Luberon Valley, tours the area, meets many of the residents, participates in social and civic activities with the French people, and communicates only in the French language during the entire trip.

Her first group was so successful in 1996 that she has ventured into two group trips this year. With these growing language skills, our alumni can truly "shout her praises loud in every land, Dear old Dartmouth bless her name." Thank you Jody, and we would hope to hear your program expanding to Spanish, German, Arabic, Japanese, and Mandarin Chinese before too long. Need to do a lot of shouting.

We always hear from and about our newsletter editor extraordinaire, the incomparable Don Goss, and that he is. Yes, he is our classmate with the famous tuft of flowers, and he is our classmate with the warmest heart of all, a little bit battered from heart surgery these days, but nevertheless the warmest.

However, behind the scene of the redhaired (singular) giant is the sanguine spirit that moves him, that of Lillian Prakelt Goss, wife of many decades, mother of four children, the charming lady of many talents, and hostess at many different homes for our many class functions, and, unbeknownst to many, one of the most celebrated special-education teachers in the Northeast.

Lillian is a graduate of Wheelock College with a B.A. and M.A., and was a public school class room teacher for 17 years, ten of them working with special children where she performed miracles, miracles.

Today, she is still working as a mentor, teaching Vermont teachers how to teach for the Sterns Foundation. In 1995 Lillian was recognized by Wheelock College with its highest award, The Career Achievement Award, for her awesome achievements with special children.

When the accolades are all said, however, and when the silence again sets in around the room, Lillian will still be there, quietly with that heartfelt, infectious smile for which she is so famous, and for many, and in particular her Don, sustaining a source of enormous strength.

Lillian, you are our legacy of leadership with the dedication you have for your fellow human beings, yes you are, but even more so, you are our legacy of love. God bless you.

"Dartmouth, there is no music for our singing, No words to bear the burden of our praise."

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