Remarks by Eleanor Wenner Kerr ‘77
I loved finding this lead statement on the Garrison Forest
website: Garrison Forest empowers students to realize their full
potential and live lives of purpose.
Then this: Who will you be?
In the fall of 1974, I would never have imagined that I would be
talking with you as Reunion Chair. What an honor to have an
opportunity to offer reflections on what Garrison Forest has meant
to me over the 40 years since I’ve graduated.
I have thought a lot about what to say—usually while out
running—no headphones for me, as I get a lot of thinking done
while I’m getting my miles in. In mid-life, I’ve discovered I am a
good athlete, something I was decidedly NOT while at GFS. I
took mime, dance, shot archery in the old stables, ANYTHING to
avoid team sports.
That brings me to my first theme, about cycles or chapters in
one’s life, and what anchors you during those chapters and
phases—what makes you who you are today, and gives you hope
for things to come. I truly believe you can become a new
person—or a new and improved you, learning new talents and
loving new things, no matter what age you are. Even at 57, “Who
can I be?”
I was a shy introvert when I came to Garrison, destined for
boarding school, and GFS really, as I was from a small town in
Frederick County, where few from our local high school go on to
college. My dad did—he went to St. James School near
Hagerstown, and he and my mom wanted to provide that
experience and the gift of a superior education to my brother and
me. Even though we visited Madeira and St. Tim’s, I was always
destined for Garrison. My parents’ best friends when they were
young and living in Baltimore were Garrison Girls.
My first week was terrifying. At mid-morning break, I was too shy
to go to Manor House for cookies. Instead, I went into the
bathroom at Marshall Offutt, went in a stall, and pathetically hid
out until the bell for class. But that didn’t last long.
After living in Robinswood with rowdy 10th grade roommates, and
a lovely bunch of friends in the 11th grade, I soon made friends,
got good grades, became a Footnote and Ragged Robin, and had
a LOT of fun (mostly behaving myself). My mom used to say
“Garrison Forest made you”. I thank Mrs. Elliot, my French
teachers, Micheline Johnson and Mrs. Smith, and so many
others—and dear friends I have to this day, forty years later.
Having had so many wonderful people help me on my way in life,
I now mentor students applying for internships and jobs out of
college in Government Affairs. Many of them are heartbroken to
leave their alma mater, and terrified to enter the working world. I
love to say, you will always be a Garrison Girl, a Trinity Grad, a
Ragged Robin, a member of that winning lacrosse or rowing
team--whatever it was that made you feel like you really belonged
and accomplished something special. Because our schools are
one of those major stepping stones in life that moves you forward
to the next chapter.
That brings me to my second theme, and that is “Death and
Resurrection.” This is an appropriate theme for a church service
remembering our school and departed classmates. You see, I’ve
recently lost both my parents, and at my mom’s funeral, our priest
gave a lovely sermon using this theme. I was really suffering from
a broken heart, and her words helped me mend. That is, that
death and resurrection means losing something that mattered to
you, but the experience can transform or resurrect you to enter a
new chapter in life.
Just two weekends ago, we attended a Mets/Nats game in New
York, where one of my husband’s best friends from college was
being honored as Veteran of the Game. At breakfast the next
day, our Veteran friend’s wife took off a necklace of mis-matched
gem stones that Peter had brought her back from his two year
tour in Afghanistan. She said those were incredibly painful years
for her, and for a long time she was unable to do anything with the
stones. But she recently made them into a lovely necklace, and
the stones are now symbols for how she moved forward and they
remade their lives together. She shared that with us, because she
felt our friendship helped her endure. Old school friends provided
critical continuity.
There are things in life that feel like they will crush you: loss of a
job, losing your parents, heaven forbide losing a child or spouse,
leaving home for school that first time, and then leaving your
beloved alma mater behind. All these things can be
heartbreaking, but you can learn so much about yourself and
what you’re made of, and, critically, what matters most to you.
It’s places like Garrison, friends from phases of your career,
school friends, running buddies, family, that knit our lives together
and help us rediscover ourselves.
Who knew I’d be a runner? Who knew I’d love GFS so much I
come back every 5 years and rarely say no when the school asks
me to do something like being Reunion Chair? None other than
that shy girl hiding in the bathroom so long ago.
I died a bit when I left the comfort of my parents in my home town
and came to Garrison, but this school “made me” like mom said,
and taught me many valuable life lessons. I know that is what
brings you here today, and for those of you half my age, I hope
Garrison is a place that will also help knit together your long lives!
And of course as Garrison Girls forever, “We know our desire to
be and not to seem!”