Educational Excellence Since 1912
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Hamden Hall Country Day School
Educating students in PreSchool through Grade 12
Deborah Kase Lillian 1975 "Parisian" Update
Although Deborah Kase Lillian, Class of 1975, moved to Paris in 1998, she has kept up with her classmates and most recently joined many of them in honoring Betty Lou Blumberg with a gift to the Endowed Chair of English in her name. The Alumni Office was thrilled to hear from Deborah and was intrigued by her memory of Betty Lou (posted on our exclusive “BLB” page). We reached out to Deborah to learn the hidden meaning behind her reference to “The Red Wheelbarrow” (William Carlos Williams’ poem) and also asked her to share a long-awaited alumni update.
Deborah recalled that when her family moved to Paris in 1998 it was “ostensibly for two years, and we haven't been able to leave yet!” Deborah and her husband, Jon, raised their three children—Aviva, Zoë, and Ben—in Paris. They went to college in the U.S., where two have settled (perhaps permanently), with one still at university.
While the children were growing up, Deborah stayed home with them for a number of years, taught English, and was consumed with various volunteer activities. “After we became naturalized citizens, I began working for an art foundation and then received my TEFL certification. I've been teaching English as a foreign language for a while now, both at schools and with private clients. Former teachers might smile at the fact that I belong to three book clubs, and Mr. Beaupré would laugh if he knew that I also advise students on their college application essays.”
Deborah is vice-president of her synagogue (“a little Franco-American one here in Paris”). She was recently elected president of the Association of American Women in Europe (aaweparis.org). It is a large organization for women living bi-cultural lives with both philanthropic and social purpose. It supports refugee help efforts, a soup kitchen, women's shelters, and various educational endeavors. Deborah also works for an NGO, the Federation of American Women's Clubs Overseas (www.fawco.org), which has special consultative status to the UN. It has most recently been raising funds and awareness for victims of sex trafficking in developing countries and will soon begin a similar program targeting girls' education worldwide.
“Most exciting is my latest undertaking: forming an Anglophone cancer support group here in Paris and the Ile-de-France. We are a chapter of a national organization, Cancer Support France, and are just starting to help people http://cancersupportfrance.org/). It will be gratifying, and I am happy that this will finally exist in the Paris area.”
Of all Deborah’s accomplishments, she is proudest of her three children. “They are kind, compassionate, accomplished human beings and are essentially my life and raison d'être. My husband is my rock and my ladder—I am very blessed.”
Deborah enjoys keeping in touch with her Hamden Hall classmates. Susan Gordon has visited Paris, and she enjoys a FaceBook relationship with Paula Bartlett Joslin and Caron Shutan.
In 2010, Deborah returned “home” for her 35th reunion. “It was wonderful, and I so regretted not being able to attend our 40th this past year.
Hamden Hall Country Day School
1108 Whitney Avenue
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
Hamden, Connecticut 06517
Phone: 203-752-2600
Fax: 203-752-2651
admissions@hamdenhall.org
About Us
Hamden Hall Country Day School is a nurturing and inclusive community with a dynamic learning environment that promotes academic excellence by understanding each child and fostering their individual growth.
