My amazing, beautiful, funny, full of life mom died on New Years Day from a brain tumor. She died peacefully, and surrounded by family. My mom filled her life with love, laughter, friends and family, and in turn she filled the lives of everyone who knew or loved her. As my children said when describing their Nana "Nana lit up every room she went into, made friends with everyone she met, and was full of jokes and laughter, but at the same time was smart as a whip and incredibly successful. She was a beacon of light to our family. She wasn't afraid of anyone, she stood up for what she believed in, and yes, she bragged about her family to anyone who would listen, but she loved with her whole heart". I agree with my kids, my mom loved with her whole heart. And that love included Germantown Academy. When mom started working at GA in 1969 she had no idea that more than 25 years later she would be leaving behind such amazing memories. She was 38 years old when she started teaching here, a young 38, she would want me to say that and she had already taught at other schools before, including a one room school house in Iowa, but really there was only one school for my mom and that was GA. She grew and blossomed here, just like many of the students do, not necessarily all students as I think my road here at times was a little rocky before I got to the blossoming part. But we both shared a tremendous gratitude towards GA for allowing us to be ourselves, to grow at our own pace and to cultivate our own individualism. My mom was nothing else if she wasn't real and genuine, and GA embraced that, pushed her to continue growing and used her strengths in multiple ways that made her feel special, appreciated and part of this wonderful community. 
My mom always felt that she had a voice here and that her opinion mattered. Many times she used this voice whether it was trying to solve the problems that the lunch ladies were having with kids that were not listening or solving the after school issues of the dreaded bus duty. She wasn't just a person who spoke her mind, she was also the kind of person that wanted to be part of the solution, and had a strong dedication to making things better. I don't think bus duty was a popular duty for most of teachers, including at first my mother, but in the end she loved it. It had all the criteria of a great job for her - she had to interact with tons of different people, organizing an out of control situation and the head master asked her to be in charge, which gave her a great sense of pride, especially when she was successful. This pride stayed with her until late in life. 
My mom loved being a teacher and her students loved her, not always the first week of school as she was also good in controlling a classroom full of bounding energy, but it didn't take long. She was a teacher at heart, and music and the younger kids were her favorite. She took great pride in watching them grow and learn. She made them sing and dance, and everyone in her class danced, probably at first with some reservation, but it wasn't long before everyone was up and moving because she made it ok to not be perfect. She made learning music into a fun adventure. She was also able to read her classroom well and she would sometimes realize that the whole class needed to "burn some energy" and then the class would be filled with movement and dancing. Other times she practiced meditation with them and the whole room laid on the floor with the lights dim practicing deep breathing and relaxation. What a gift she gave those students for later in life. 
My mom fell in love with Germantown Academy's beauty campus. She took such pride in how clean it was and she wasn't alone with this. She walked through the halls like she would walk through her own home, straightening pictures and picking up any piece of trash she found, of course this got her in trouble once when she picked up what she thought was a balloon and gave it to a kindergartner, but that's a story for another time. She was so proud of GA and how beautiful it was that when our relatives came to visit, their trip always included a drive out to GA. This was her school and her pride was palpable  
This is a great segue into what really made this place so special to my mom. It was the people. The amazing teachers and administrative staff in the lower school who became her extended family. I would probably be shocked at how much that group knew about my life growing up, but I honor the closeness and the love that those friendships and relationships yielded. They were there for each other through good days and bad days, through sickness and health, through easy students and tough ones. It was a very strong bond. At the time when I was going to school here, I didn't fully appreciate how rare that is in the work place, but my mom always got it. She knew how lucky she was. She loved being a teacher here and working with such amazing people. It wasn't just the lower school teachers that held this magic for her although that was always her home away from home, it was also the maintenance workers, the kitchen staff, the coaches, the parents, the bus drivers and the school administrators, especially Jim Connor who always held a special place in her heart. She loved you all.  And nothing could have been more fitting or more special to her then when she became part of the class of 1760. That recognition and honor meant the world to her. It was like Germantown Academy recognized all the extra things she did and all the hours and years she put in and said "good job". For her, this was priceless. Her bond with GA so tight that she kept coming back many years after she retired to substitute teach and also work at GA summer camp. She didn't want to let leave. 
  So when my dad was trying to figure out how to honor this amazing women that we love so much and means the world to us, there was only one choice. She would be so very proud to have her name on the wall of the school that was so much more to her then just the place she worked for 25 plus years. Germantown Academy has always been such an important part of her life and now she will always be a part of Germantown Academy. We can not thank you enough for helping us make this possible. I will end with one of her favorite quotes-

"If ever there is tomorrow when we're not together... there is something you must always remember. You are braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. But the most important thing is, even if we're apart... I'll always be with you."   -- A.A. Milne 

RUTH
Greeetings:

Frankly, I was nervous when asked to talk a little about my time working with Ruth. I think my hard drive is still in pretty good shape, but my search engine has gotten slower and slower, sometimes finally responding several hours after being called on. We’re going back in time here, more than 40 years ago! So, I made a few calls to some of you and soon I received numerous emails with thoughts from many who remember Ruth as a colleague, student and even some parents of students.

One common belief that was shared is the memory of Ruth as a good person. I decided that I’d look into characteristics of good people. You can imagine that I found many lists – lots of traits. As I sorted through them I realized that Ruth had nailed them all. I also looked into the hallmarks of a good teacher and their again, Ruth modeled most examples. However, Ruth was actually more than a good person and a good teacher – there was something in her overall make up, her gestalt if you will, that was special and that caused colleagues, parents and students alike to express love. This community loved Ruth Aden.

I am not going to cite all of her fine qualities. I am going to try and illustrate a few of them.

I remember first seeing Ruth in the early ‘70s when I was subbing in the lower school. The occasion was a primary assembly in the old lower school assembly area. This space was like a bowling alley with a platform where the pins might be. The then director of the primary division was from the “old school” –literally- and she made it clear that the piano was to be off to the side of the platform. Well when Ruth was leading the children in songs she felt the need to be able to make eye contact with them; she always played the piano standing up. So, when it was time for Ruth’s part, the song would begin with Ruth and the piano in the corner. Then as she was singing and playing she would also be kicking the piano with one foot and jamming it with her wrists so that it would come bucking and swinging across the floor. A Travelling Piano! The effect was a bit burlesquey, but Ruth was as determined as her boss. I hadn’t seen anything like that before and actually not since!

In those days we sang about the wheels on the bus, driving six white horses, or perhaps keeping old king glory on his mountain. The 70’s were marked with innovation and the lower school faculty was busy going to a variety of professional workshops. After the experience we taught one another whatever we learned. Ruth was eager to know more about music education. Sometimes I confess, the rest of us were less eager to participate in her demonstration lessons. However, we had faculty meetings where we, or at least I, lurched around marking one beat with one step and portioning out our ta’s and t’ t’s. Ta Ta te te Ta became synonymous with Mrs. Aden.

Ruth knew children loved putting on shows. Actually, she could be quite a ham herself. She worked at creating 2nd grade’s Carnival of the Animals, 1st’s Play Days, Kindergarten’s Winter Program and I even remember a 3rd grade Production of Little Orphan Annie. She helped the kids to take control and incorporated their ideas into the productions. Can you picture....”Who wants to be Daddy Warbucks?” “Mrs. Aden I don’t want to be in it but my dog could be Sandy.” “Okay, I’ll put you down for the dog.” ....and so the dog came. Each endeavor was original and required hours of her planning, collaborating and adapting. Ruth kept in the background, it was always about supporting the children.

Productions, brings to my mind the Faculty/Parent musicals that we did for a few years. I don’t remember Ruth actually being in any of them, but she did a lot of the coaching and practice, one year helping Bud Kast, Jack Pickering and Sam Jackson learn their parts for a rendition of Can Do from Guys and Dolls. After months of practice they ended up having to add speaking to the singing for what was a unique interpretation. One night, Ruth must have been helping backstage when Allison Murdoch managed to get herself handcuffed to the curtain rope. I have this vision of Ruth holding Allison’s arm with one hand, and the handcuff with the other so that the rope running through the handcuff wouldn’t take of her skin. Many acts and a lot of curtain opening and closing later, the township police finally came and unlocked the cuff. For Ruth, ....all in a day’s work!!!

Ruth loved to laugh. She had a marvelous sense of humor and put her whole self into her laughter often ending red faced with tears running down her cheeks. As one friend put it she was also just a little naïve. She was at her best telling stories about funny things that little kids happened to say or do. She was a good story teller and liked sharing jokes. Sam Serrao, the head of maintenance, delighted in setting her up with good ones. Once heard, she would go on repeating them with the rest of us throughout the day. There was a catch; Sam’s jokes were usually open to a very bawdy interpretation which Ruth usually didn’t get. The hilarity was doubled when Ruth fell into his traps. Eventually someone would explain the full meaning to Ruth. At these times she would become beet red, put her hand over her mouth and whoop!!! She literally shook from head to toe! Like all good humorists she liked it best when the joke was on her!

Kids knew that on their birthdays Mrs. Aden would give them their smacks. Today, this activity would probably be libelous for some reason or another, but here’s how it worked, Ruth would turn the birthday victim over her knee, put her left hand on their butt and then wham her left hand with the right. The kids loved it, pretended to hate it, and eventually distain it, but they never wanted Mrs. Aden to forget their birthdays.

Ruth wore many hats largely because she was a good problem solver and a willing volunteer. When we still had the big playground and the Flyers were going strong, she was commissioned by the kids to come out at recess time and stand at the start of their street hockey games to sing God Bless America a la Kate Smith. The children utilized her as a “go to” for a range of helpful solutions for their needs. They knew they could count on her to be consistent, fun and fair.

Everyone remembers Ruth in one of her major roles as the bus lady. This was a rain, snow, sleet or hail commitment that she made for almost 25 years. State Bussing began a few years after Ruth started at GA. Before bussing the dismissal was calm, orderly, civilized and relatively pleasant. Everything changed when the bussing moved in. Anyone who had to be out there found it grim. The busses came pretty much when they pleased. The drivers, many of them hostile because this was a tack on for them, picked a spot they liked and that’s where they told the kids to come. Some drivers wouldn’t even enter the quad. Parents who still drove continued as they did before weaving in and out of busses as though they weren’t there. The kids all came out at once and scattered; they played in the quad, and dodged between cars and busses. It was bedlam! Various attempts to gain some order went unfulfilled. One afternoon, Jack Pickering who was then acting head of the lower school, was dragged around the quad holding on to the door handle of a parent’s car who was determined to get her kids, her way. After that, he put out a call for someone to develop a strategy to make the place safe. That’s when Ruth became the bus lady. Gradually things got better and better. She could mellow the most miserable bus driver and lots of them became her buddies. Eventually they were swapping stories with her about their children and then later trading pictures of grandchildren. ? After several years Ruth found out that many of the bus drivers all went together on a trip to N.Carolina in August to get their new busses. They told her so much about the fun they had that she hoped to get an invitation some year. Sadly, I don’t think that ever happened.

Ruth was a charmer she was upbeat, positive and resilient. She had as many issues in her life as any of us but she rose above them and was more inclined to worry about someone else’s problems than her own. One morning on the way to school, she was car jacked. Someone bumped her from behind. She jumped out to see about damage and another guy jumped in and drove her car away. “You get lemons, you make lemonade.” Soon we were having personal safety meetings at school, learning to be a little wiser about our comings and goings. She was like a mother hen, routinely checking in on everyone and making sure that all was well. She was never shy about speaking up when she thought something was awry. She generously shared an enthusiasm for life and a positive spirit and she loved episodes and adventure!

Ruth had a big role as the wife of a minister and professor at the Seminary and as the mother of two children. Also, the seminarians and their families became part of her family. She was the traditional housekeeper, wife, mother, hostess with the mostest, etc. – a true multi tasker. She once told me about her compulsion to keep things neat. She was a very early riser in order to get everything done and get to school on time. Leroy on the other hand slept a little later. She explained that she couldn’t leave home with their bed unmade, so she just had to make it with Leroy still in it. I don’t know which was the better trick; Ruth making Leroy into the bed or his figuring out how to get out of it!

For years now, in early June, I begin to get a little nostalgic. I start thinking about those Wednesday mornings in the big gym, where the temperature was hovering around 102 degrees, and fans were blowing so that it sounded like you were on an air boat. Despite the noise, there was never a breath of air stirring. The stands were a blur of blue blazers and smiling faces as the lower school gathered for Final Chapel. I hear those lovely voices singing Cat Stephens’ Morning Has Broken. The sweat poured off of all of us, dripping from chins onto those blue and red ties and every child would be hoping that the word would come soon, BLAZERS OFF! And I picture Ruth’s turn when she would get up to stand behind her piano and with a seemingly imperceptible movement of something like her eyebrow, the whole primary side of the gym would stand in unison. The boards on the stands would rattle and shake when they began ....STAMP, STAMP, CLAP,CLAP,CLAP.

If anybody asks me who I am,

These, the youngest children truly felt that they were part of the GA gang. Due in large measure to the sweeping range of Ruth’s encouragement they understood that they were known as individuals and cared about. They became increasingly confident in themselves as learners and they were infused with spirit as significant members of a special school. Ruth’s ongoing guidance during each of their earliest school years helped ensure this.

Ruth Aden, at GA 1969 to 1994, recipient of the Outstanding Teacher Award 1982, and member of the class of 1760, was a marvel and today I am delighted to celebrate all of our time together.

Many Thanks. 

Mom’s Dedication Thank you for being here. My mom loved GA, she loved being a teacher, friend and colleague. She adored her students, their parents and even her time, famous or infamous, as bus monitor. She loved GA because it was family and she loved family – her daughter and son, our spouses, her five remarkable grandchildren and her stunning great-grandchildren -- as well as her GA family. She had a special place in all their lives. Even though we lived relatively far from here when my sons were growing up, my younger son Jesse spent time with her at GA during a few summer sessions. It wasn’t for long but it still had an impact on him. When I asked him about it he said “I am no singer, and I can only play a very simple version of ‘Mary had a Little Lamb’ that my cousin showed me one afternoon. Still, due mainly to the music classes that I took with Nana, I appreciate good music, and all musicians. Nana sang and danced with us, and sparked an interest that I didn't have before. Her love of music was catching. Thank you for dedicating this room to Nana Ruth.” My older son Jason unfortunately didn’t get to spend time with my mom at GA, but he knew how much GA meant to her. He said “Growing up I remember the pride Nana Ruth put into her work with her students. Music was her joy and teaching was her passion -- two of the many qualities I loved and respected about her.”

Unlike my sons or my sister’s children, the great-grandchildren probably won’t articulate many specific memories of her but I’d like to show them to you because I think you’ll see that they reflect her in other ways.
Daniel – He’s the youngest, the only one my mother did not meet, hold and sing to. We’re still learning who he is but we do know that having him around can make everything calmer and happier. And he smiles easily.
Livia – she’s inquisitive and sweet but when she wants something done, you don’t want to get in her way.
Ashley – she has a habit of randomly and without prompting interrupting what she’s doing to come over to you and give you a hug and kiss even when there’s no apparent reason for it.
Liam – he’s sensitive and thoughtful and has been known to wear costumes, some of which might have on occasion embarrassed other members of his family.
Brianna – she loves to dance and has ice blue eyes that twinkle when she makes you laugh which happens often. When any family member arrives, Brianna is openly, ecstatically happy -- and she never wants you to leave.
Chloe is in many ways the center around which others orbit, siblings and adults. She can and does chatter for hours but above everything else she loves having all her family together.
For those of you who knew my mother, I’m sure you can recognize her in them as we do. Because she smiled easily, she could move things out of the way to get something done, she’d give you a hug even when there was no apparent reason, she was known to wear wild costumes, she never wanted you to leave and above all she loved having her family all together. Her grandchildren, great-grandchildren and I’m sure many of her students are a continuing living example of who my mother was.

My mother would have been flattered, humbled and proud that we’re dedicating a music room to her. She would have loved the idea of having a place where children will gather to learn and play music.