My first college roomate

I just read about Ellen's passing in the latest issue of our Barnard magazine, and no words can say how sad I feel. I was a freshman at Barnard from a small town on Long Island, and Ellen was a transfer student rom Mt. Holyoke. Both being late entries, we could not get a dorm room. So we both lived at the Parnassus Club for women a block from the campus. She was the first roomate I ever had! Being older and wiser, Ellen taught me the ropes of college life and also of life in the big city. I remember how we used to get tickets to the theater in the last row in the balcony for a few dollars. Ellen was really good at navigating the sidewalks in the Manhattan theater district, and I would follow her, racing to catch the bus! I remember spending a weekend in Philadelphia at her parent's home on Delancey. It was May, and very hot and humid. Her friend who lived nearby had a new kind of imported car. It was called a Volkswagen Beetle! He graciously took us for a ride in it! After that year, I moved to the dorms, and we lost track of each other. Only a few years ago, I got the idea to find out what had happened to her, and was able to locate her through the alum office. We talked on the phone and brought each other up to date on our lives. Although our relationship did not last long, it was very close for the short time we were together, and she was a huge influence on my life! I will never forget her, and I offer my deepest condolences to her family and loved ones. Annette Raymon Smith