Fall 2007 Alumnae Quarterly Web Extra

Tributes to Recently Deceased MHC Faculty

Tributes to Kathryn “Kay” Eschenberg, professor emeritus of biological sciences, who died June 3, 2007.

• From Barbara Symonds Beltz ’74, Hallowell Farwell Professor of Biology, Wellesley College:

Professor Kathryn Eschenberg was my teacher and mentor at Mount Holyoke in the 1970s. As I matured as a scientist and later became a faculty member at Wellesley College, she also became my friend.

Beyond my classroom experiences with Kay, I did senior thesis research in her laboratory, and it was through this experience that I came to know her best. The few years of interaction during my Mount Holyoke years were followed by decades of sporadic visits, phone calls and notes related to my growing family and career, and to her “retirement” from Mount Holyoke and pursuit of a new career in eldercare.  Throughout our discussions and correspondences, Kay maintained several themes that echoed our time together so many years before.  First and foremost, she was a kind and caring person; these qualities were in evidence during her years as a teacher, as well as in her decision to leave Mount Holyoke in order to work with the elderly.  Secondly, she was a “big picture” and “no fuss” person, who could slice through petty details and complications and focus on the essence of a situation.  And above all, she brought to all of these endeavors a sharp mind and intellectual curiosity that could bring transparency and light to just about any challenging situation.

Kay retired from Mount Holyoke in 1987, the same year that I accepted a faculty position at Wellesley College.  I like to think that through my work with students, she passed her torch along to me.  And I try very hard to uphold the legacy of dedication and generosity of spirit that was so evident in her many years at Mount Holyoke.

• From Kathleen “Kay” Holt MA’58, lecturer and director of libraries emeritus of biological sciences;  and Marilyn Z. Pryor, professor emeritus of biological sciences:

Kay Eschenberg was a wonderful colleague who had the rare ability to see all sides of an issue and was careful to give them consideration before taking action.  She was not one to make “power plays” or thrust her own opinions on you so that, during periods of crisis or major transitions, she was a stabilizing element that led us to take the time to think through the potential outcomes of our actions.  It was not by accident that time and again her name appeared as a member of a committee or taskforce charged with significant responsibilities in the life of the college.  In retirement she continued her leadership role providing her balanced insight in service organizations both here in South Hadley and in Florida.