Best wishes, happy birthday to Bruni a longtime friend — a force of nature, from Ann Harnwell Ashmead.
From my seven decades-long friendship with Bruni, three vivid recollections spring to mind:
- Early '50s: Young Bruni, fresh from Italy as a graduate student. We were just three — Bruni, Miriam Ervin (later Caskey) and myself (Ann Harnwell Ashmead) — in Machteld Mellink's seminar on Cretan Archaeology. Bruni, in heavily accented English, led us knowledgeably through the extensive Italian excavation reports on the Palace of Phaistos. Miriam reported on all of Sir Arthur Evans tomes on the Palace of Knossos. I had Malia.
- In 1956 Fall: Bruni the good friend. As a fellow student of the American School of Classical Studies, Bruni most kindly put herself out to shepherd me about Athens, when I was desperately searching for a suitable lodging for me, my husband, John Ashmead (professor/teacher at the Athens College for Boys), and three small boys (John, Graham, Gaylord). Bruni had been the previous year ’55-56 at the ASCS. In floods of rapid-fire Greek, she negotiated with possible landlords. I recall her shouting up at persons on balconies fearlessly and impressively in modern Greek.
- In the 1960s: Bruni the expectant mother. I recall Bruni happy, hard at work, in the BMC library, as she was wearing some of my very colorful eye-catching maternity outfits which I had loaned to/given her.
Brunilde Ridgway, Rhys Carpenter Professor Emeritus of Classical and Near Eastern Archaeology, is celebrating her 90th birthday. In honor of this milestone, her former students, colleagues, and friends have been invited to share memories of their beloved mentor, teacher, and friend. View the list of messages.