President Janet L. Steinmayer welcomes family, friends and Lesley community members to Alumni Weekend's celebration of the life of the late Professor Emerita Mary Mindess. (Photos by Ben Zackin)
By Karyn Regal
Few celebrations of life include paper airplanes, but Lesley University’s Mary Mindess wasn’t most professors.
Professor Emerita Dr. Joanne Szamreta shot paper airplanes into the amphitheater at Sherrill Library on South Campus, demonstrating something Mindess felt very strongly about: the importance of play as a vehicle for learning in early childhood.
“Play is something Mindess was serious about," said Szamreta. “So, in that spirit,” to giggles and screams, she let a couple paper airplanes fly. They carried two messages. “Nothing without joy,” read one. “Children have 100 languages,” read another. Both phrases stem from the Reggio Emilia approach to early childhood education, an arts-and-play doorway to learning championed by Mindess, a late professor emerita.
Everyone in the at-capacity space on South Campus seemed to agree it was “A Very Mary Thing” to do, engaging the audience in laughter and joy. Among those scrambling to seize paper airplanes out of the air were colleagues, faculty, staff, students, admirers and four former Lesley University presidents: Richard Hanson, Jeff Weiss, Joseph Moore, and Margaret McKenna.
“The story of Lesley University and Mary Mindess really can’t be separated. They are entwined. One cannot be without the other,” said Lesley University President Janet L. Steinmayer, who wanted this celebration to coincide with Lesley’s Alumni Weekend. The joyful and tearful celebration was held during that weekend so as many people as possible could celebrate Mindess, a groundbreaking and beloved professor of early childhood education at Lesley for over half a century. Mindess died in February at 93.
Former Lesley University president McKenna, who oversaw Lesley for 22 years, spoke at length about her long relationship with Mindess. She recalled how Mindess had to fight for respect.
“This was a time people did not understand the importance of early childhood education,” said McKenna. “Mary Mindess was kindergarten, when no one was thinking about brain development and early childhood and the incredible impact it has later.
“Think about it. She was a young professor. She’s like, I know something needs to be done, and I’m going to do it.”
Undergraduate Education Department Chair Dr. Lisa Fiore referred to the “ripple effect that Mary had on the world.” Fiore shared a story about being a new faculty member in a big assembly meeting, not really knowing anyone, and being taken under Mindess’s wing.
Fiore also recalled Mindess sharing invitations to important conferences with her, “letting someone else have this experience.”
“Letting someone shine made her so happy,” Fiore said, as the dozens gathered smiled, recognizing Mindess’s spirit of generosity.
Those ripples of generosity were remembered by The Harvard Graduate School of Education’s Yvonne Lui Constant, who is the practitioner specialist at the Pedagogy of Play, who talked about all the workshops, all the innovation, Mindess brought to the field.
But when it comes right down to the heart of the matter, Lui Constant said, “Her biggest contribution is her support to us, as people, as individuals. When I first joined Lesley, I remember Mary coming up to say, ‘Welcome to Lesley. I’m sure you’ll have a good time. And if you don’t, let me know, and I’ll take care of it.’”
At this point, the audience roared.
“I didn’t know what take care of it meant, but I figured I’d ask her to be my mentor, and she graciously agreed. That’s when I realized what taking care of it meant. She never actually did anything (specific) for me. But she gave me suggestions so I could act upon them.”
Mindess’s family came to campus to celebrate her, filling two long rows and listening and laughing as the woman they loved was celebrated.
Mindess’s daughter approached the podium at the front of the amphitheater and managed to read a single sentence. “My mother would have loved this event,” said Karen Waldstein, overcome with emotion.
As photos of her mother at Lesley flashed behind her on a giant TV screen, she said, “I thought this would be easier,”
The audience laughed, and applauded, to encourage her. “My mother knew this was going to happen, and you know she hoped to be here.”
