I thought, “what are the chances that my neighbor on a floor of three apartments is a Mawrter?!”
Despina: We met sometime around the late 1980’s. Sarah and her husband Dave lived in the neighboring apartment with their two children. We knew each other but not well. One day, I found two identical pieces of mail from Bryn Mawr in my pile, one addressed to me, and the other to Sarah. I thought, “what are the chances that my neighbor on a floor of three apartments is a Mawrter?!” So, I knocked on her door to ask if she went to Bryn Mawr and sure enough she did. We had a lovely conversation that day, and our friendship grew from there. It was so nice to have her across the hall, like family. Sarah already had two children when my daughter was born, so she was there to help me along the way.
Sarah: And Despina retired a year or two before me so she led the way on that front. Through the years, we bonded over our families, and our mutual love of art and books. A few years ago, I enlisted Despina to join my book club, which was overrun with Vassar alums. I desperately needed another Mawrter to balance it out and knew Despina would be a good fit. We just enjoy spending time together. Plus, we are very fortunate that our husbands are compatible. As a group, we really enjoy each other. In fact, this past October, we traveled together on Bryn Mawr’s trip to Japan. As close as we have been, that trip made us even closer.
Above, from left: Sarah, Despina, and Bob Gimbel on their recent BMC trip to Japan. #ProjectMawrter.