Tonight the first Amelia Diaz-Allmart Scholarship awards were given at her old high school. One of the two recipients could not, at the last minute, attend, but here you can see the sweet young woman who was there, Antonia Gonzalez. Next to Bill is Mary McCarter, Amelia's former colleague who really made this happen, and Suzanne and Husayn and baby Amia. Amelia's other dear friends, Jeanette and Hal Gordon, were also there.
I got to hand Antonia her certificate and we had a chance to chat a little. In one of the communications leading up to this evening, I asked the faculty, who know the students, to make their final choice based on whether they saw a glimpse of Amelia in one of them. Meeting Antonia, who plans to become fully bilingual so she can serve more effectively as a nurse, I saw what her teachers saw: a young woman of great poise, great sweetness, and great caring for others. I looked hard at her during the evening--she spoke on behalf of the seniors and received several other academic awards from her teachers--and I believe there was indeed something of Amelia there in her spirit. It was such a privilege to be able to help her with her academic goals, even just a little bit.
The funny yet touching part was that none of those who had known Amelia best felt they could stand and say anything without breaking down. Mary asked me to speak but I felt I couldn't do so, and asked Mary to speak, who asked Mark, who asked Alice, who finally agreed. In the event, each of these was overcome by tears as pictures of Amelia were flashed onto a screen while the award was introduced. They even had pictures I had forgotten about: Amelia mugging it up on the Maine coast, Lord only knows when. But there she was: smiling, the ocean and the lobster boats behind her. All very sweet. A good night.
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