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Truth be told, my thoughts and feelings for her span of my 44 years of age. As the child of a University of Vermont Professor, my parents Dan and Vivian were friends with Anne-K. With her many visits to our home she quickly became an unexpectedly wonderful "Auntie" to my sisters, Carol and Pat, and myself, Suzanne I remember Anne-K had a wonderful apartment that we would visit. Complete with a Siamese cat that would wait in prey on top of a bookcase and launch itself on to unsuspecting children's backs. She had many beautiful and anti-social cats over the years. My family moved to Oregon in 1963 and I started third grade that fall. Over the years Anne-K would often visit and stay at our home. We would go to see the sights of Portland with her, such as the Rose Gardens (Which she loved). The only Portland Rose Parade I have ever been to was when Anne-K was visiting. One summer we planted the "Anne Keppel Blooming Petunia Patch" complete with a sign at our Beaverton home. We were on our way to a yearlong stay in Davao City, The Philippines, the first time I visited Anne-K in Hawaii. My family was accompanying my father on a research project funded from the National Science Foundation, and, we girls spent a week with Anne-K. The memory of waking early to pick Plumerias from her tree and string leis of those fragrant flowers is so strong that I can almost smell the waxy white and red flowers today. Through the years, I kept Anne-K up to date with sporadic letters. Receiving a reply was always a thrill, and deciphering her scrawling hand, a HUGE challenge. Poignant and introspective remarks where short and to the point. To continue this long story to it's completion, I need to fill in some background about me. In the mid seventies Beaverton High School I enrolled in shop classes. Metal Shop, Wood Shop and Auto Shop. After receiving sponsorship from an auto dealer, I attended an Auto Body training program given by General Motors. I was the first woman in this country to complete this training program. I went on in the non-traditional world, taking welding classes, and enlisting in the Navy. My decision to be a single parent was also corresponded to Anne-K, but 23 years later I cannot recall what was said. Now I make my living in the Male dominated field of constriction as a Union Journeyman Steamfitter. I do very little welding anymore and mostly design high purity gas piping systems for the microchip world. I am active in Women's trade groups, I have mentored women who want to be in the trades and have an active women's support group of other women Steamfitters in California, Arizona, Oregon and Washington. I am working with our national union to form a special Women's panel to address the unique needs of the tiny percentage of women in the Pipe Trades. Now on with the story. After enrolling in a woman's career advancement class, one of my projects was to write a paper about three women who had influenced my life. When I finished the first draft Anne-K's name was not on the list. In retrospect I know now why she was omitted. The other women had given me life-altering insight or influenced huge changes in my life; they were influential in one or two things and jumped to the front of my mind. Anne-K's presence was not for a single event, but for all the times and for all the decisions. She was such a lasting and steady influence on my life that I had overlooked her; as if I had overlooked the ground I was standing upon and only noticed the trees. The finished paper included Anne-K and placed her at the top of the list. As her visits to Oregon resumed in past years they again became the family event of a season. I have now learned to make Haku Leis in Anne-K's unique style. She had a way of fixing me in her sight and laying down a question that would just make me squirm. She wanted to know. She wanted you to think about the answer. And I damn well wanted to answer it correctly. On Monday, I will again wear my button that boldly states "57 cents", (although it is up to 73 cents on the dollar, the difference in wages between men and women) given to me by Anne-K. I now truly know that being included in Anne-k's life made me something special. She will be missed. Suzanne Scheans 720 Washington Street
As a final note, only one person in my life has continued to call me Suzie all these years. That was Anne-K.
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