Signs That My Mom Is Still Thinking of Us (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015)
1) My mom repeatedly told me that she wanted the song “(I Had) The Time of My Life” played at her funeral. While we plan to play it at her memorial service, we didn’t plan to play it at her actual burial service. As we drove to the burial service, you can guess what song came on the radio. Now, it’s a well-known song, but the timing was striking given the song’s age. Still, the fortuitous timing meant that indeed we enjoyed the song at her funeral. (Enjoyed, of course, is euphemistic: I immediately burst into tears when the song came on the radio).
2) My mom always said she felt cold, but the temperature at her burial service was a sizzling 95 degrees–an unusually hot day for the LA Basin in April.
3) As we drove home from the service, we crested a hill and saw the setting sun as its disk was just touching the horizon. Seeing it through so many atmospheric layers, we could glimpse directly at the sun’s disk for a few moments at a time. It was the widest, fattest and most beautiful sun I can recall seeing. The bottom eighth of the disk was distorted by the atmosphere in a way that made it look vaguely like the sun was “smiling.” So what I chose to see was my mom’s bright face smiling at us–as she always did–as her way of sending her love.
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We will be celebrating Dr. Gail Schlachter Hauser’s life on May 17 in Los Altos Hills. Click here for details and to RSVP.
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Blog Posts About Gail Schlachter Hauser’s Death
* My Mom’s Idea of a “Really Good Day” (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015)
* Initial Reflections on Losing a Parent (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015)
* My Mom Died: Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015
[…] Signs That My Mom Is Still Thinking of Us (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * My Mom’s Idea of a “Really Good Day” (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * Initial […]
Sandy and Eric,
My thoughts are with you. Your mom was a very special person.
There was a lot to admire—and miss—about Gail. She was brilliant while at the same time warm, generous, friendly, welcoming and extremely enthusiastic about whatever she chose to do. Gail was a very accomplished professional and publisher who brightened and influenced the lives of many people. In her quest for excellence, she helped to shape the profession and its largest organization.
Thank you for asking us to celebrate your mom’s life by sharing stories. I remember a conversation with Gail many years ago—the late 1970s I think, a time when women shared stories of being discriminated against simply because we were women. Gail recalled that she had been accepted into an excellent doctoral program in American history—her first academic love. She was very excited and planned to study with an outstanding historian whose work had drawn her to the program. She said that when she arrived for her appointment, the secretary told her that she was sorry that that the faculty member she had expected to meet with to advise her on her doctoral program was not available, but that he had arranged for her to see another professor. Gail remembered that the secretary then handed her an envelope containing her academic folder and directed her to his office. She told me that she thought “I’m holding my entire academic history—letters and all! What an opportunity—to get to look at my folder.” She decided that while she had it, she’d take it to a safe place to view its contents. She chose the ladies room, but being in the ladies room didn’t seem quite secure enough so she took the envelope into a stall and opened it up. It was then that she saw a paper-clipped note on the front of the folder from her chosen professor to the faculty member she was to see that day which said simply, “Will you take this one? I don’t work with women.” Gail recalled being stunned while she tried to absorb the blatant message that had nothing to do with her ability and everything to do with the fact that she was a woman who was seeking a PhD in American history. She said that right there in the stall she had a good cry and decided that this wasn’t the right program for her. It was only after that experience that Gail decided to become a librarian. While it may be tempting to wonder what Gail might have accomplished as a historian—and I have no doubt that she would have left her mark on whatever field she entered—I, personally, am grateful that she chose to enter our field and that she put that indomitable spirit to work on behalf of libraries and librarians.
Joan
Joan C. Durrance, PhD
Professor Emerita
University of Michigan School of Information
Home add: 7272 Park Lake Dr.
Dexter, MI 48130
Home phone : 734-426-4399
Email: durrance@umich.edu
[…] (1943-2015) * My First Mother’s Day Without My Mom (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015) * Signs That My Mom Is Still Thinking of Us (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * My Mom’s Idea of a “Really Good Day” (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * Initial […]
[…] My First Mother’s Day Without My Mom (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015) * Signs That My Mom Is Still Thinking of Us (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * My Mom’s Idea of a “Really Good Day” (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * Initial […]
[…] (1943-2015) * My First Mother’s Day Without My Mom (Gail Schlachter Hauser 1943-2015) * Signs That My Mom Is Still Thinking of Us (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * My Mom’s Idea of a “Really Good Day” (Gail Schlachter Hauser, 1943-2015) * Initial […]