Maryl’s beautiful design of the Women’s Caucus logo is worn by many who have the Women’s Caucus pin, and the logo is on the WC website and the award plaques.

Sunday, 23 August 2009
From: Karen Keifer-Boyd

I last spoke with Maryl on July 28, 2009. We discussed serious matters, we laughed together, she wanted to nominate me for an award, and we acknowledged the finiteness of life in a somber yet peaceful outlook. During that phone conversation she asked me to call again on Monday, August 10, as she was going to think about and write notes on what she wanted to convey to Women’s Caucus members for the NAEA News column due August 12. She also wanted to respond to those who wrote on the Maryl tribute blog this autumn 2009. Maryl passed on August 8, 2009. I greatly miss Maryl. It was my good fortune to have known Maryl. She is a role model for me. The anthology, NAEA Women’s Caucus Award Autobiographical Addresses: 1975-2010, was begun in 2006 with Maryl, who invited me to work with her to conceptualize and develop this project. I am dedicated to complete the anthology in her honor. It will include award acceptance speeches contributed by National Art Education Association’s (NAEA) Women’s Caucus award recipients. For many, the annual Women’s Caucus Awards night is a highlight of the NAEA conference. We learn about our colleagues’ lives, including their early formations of identity and unexpected life events in relation to their careers as art educators in personable, often humorous, and deeply moving narrative presentations.

I am blocked to write about Maryl. I loved her too much. Hopefully I had oportunity to demonstrate, dedicating one of my books to her. The last two months I had been sick. I had pneumonia that put me in the hospital for one month. I avoided to call her because I was so down!! Maryl’s last months were a lesson of love. She had time to say beautiful words to each one of us who love her and to plan the depart with the dignity that characterized her whole life. For me the NAEA conferences never will be the same without her. I didn’t go to NAEA the last two year afraid to miss her too much. Maryl was very important to the Art Education in Latin America. During the time of hard dictatorships in this part of the world we could travel outside the country with very little money. Money was controlled by the government. Several times Maryl paid by herself the fees of INSEA Congresses for art educators from South America. Maryl’s dedication to INSEA advertizing and stimulating membership and participation by all means will be remembered with gratitude. Our dinners after Congresses always with Larry Kantner and sometimes with other friends, trying the best restaurants of the world, put in practice our taste for diversity. Losing Maryl made me feel to desire to be closer to the very good friends no matter the geographic distance.

Photo left to right: Graeme Sullivan, Maryl Fletcher de Jong, Marjorie Cohee Manifold, Enid Zimmerman, Teri Marche, and Mary Stokrocki at Enid's 2006 retirement party in Chicago organized by Deborah Smith-Shank.

Each of us remembers friends for the kindnesses shared throughout the years. It has been Maryl’s custom to each year send out a Season’s Greetings to her wide circle of people. Faithfully, the note would come, hand addressed to Read and Ed, so Ed knew of Maryl and Diederik even before meeting Maryl in New Orleans at NAEA. Like the group of cats Maryl and Diederik adopted, her friends became his friends and he theirs. Maryl always made the letter so rich in the details of life that it was like talking to her throughout the year. Each year I put the new letter with the folder of dear people who took time to share memories and aspirations as part of the holidays. It is for the little kindnesses of life, for her service in the interest of others that Maryl can be remembered as we celebrate the Women’s Caucus award established in her name. Even those who did not have a chance to know her in person will be reminded of her work for the people in art education around the world. Because Maryl assisted many internationals in their conference work while in the states, our field has been enriched with a global perspective. I am deeply saddened that Maryl will no longer be among us, but gladdened that she seemed to live just the kind of life she most valued-blessed with a dear husband, many friends, devoted family, plentiful pets, and a project oriented garden that never ceased to delight. Read Diket, President Women’s Caucus NAEA

Photo left to right: Maryl Fletcher de Jong, Teri Marche, and Gil Clark at Enid Zimmerman's 2006 retirement party in Chicago organized by Deborah Smith-Shank.