Wednesday, October 4, 2017
I miss Clarice. Our Peace Corps experiences and shared values made our “long-distance” friendship more precious than I probably was aware. No doubt the bond was strengthened through our supportive and loving husbands, both with West African backgrounds, humanistic outlooks and good humor,
Prospero and I, as well as dear Peace Corps ’65 friends, knew Clarice as as a woman active, devoted, advocating— not one to sit back if her action could help. Her family was first: she supported Gus in his challenging work and his passion for justice; she guided her children to be productive, aware contributing, and strong individuals. In recent years with Gus, Clarice unrelentingly made the lives of her mother and brother less isolated and more comfortable. As a committed environmentalist and teacher, she encouraged her students (and friends, including me) to consider the weight of environmental choices. Years ago, I considered… and, with Clarice as a model of conservation and frugality, I became a more devoted recycler. In her extraordinary gardening and cooking, as well as her social and political perspectives, she vehemently rejected frivolousness, artificiality, waste, selfishness, and dishonesty.
Over decades, our group of Peace Corps friends gathered, shared our lives, talked politics, laughed together, and, of course, cooked and shared meals. At any gathering, Clarice’s delicious and healthy breads and veggies demonstrated her love of “essential cooking” — dishes that metaphorically mirrored the basic and nourishing nature of her values. At any future gathering, we will remember Clarice.
Clarice is in our hearts forever. Love to you, dear loving Gus. And love to children Weimi, Macaya, and Kahwa and to grandchildren Aaron, Sophia, and Derek, who were all at the center of Clarice and Gus’s life together. Fran and Prospero
