Dueling Passions—Continued from page 9
Once pool winners have been determined, the competition moves to an elimination format, in which winning fencers move on and losing fencers end competition. One of only four sports that have been featured at every modern Olympic games, fencing requires intense concentration and physical exertion, and Valigorsky maintains her conditioning through rigorous training four to six times per week at the Beaches Sabre Club in Troy. In fall 2006, she increased her ranking in the United States Fencing Association in a mixed competition in which she was one of only three women competing. She won by defeating most of the men in the pools and everyone in the direct elimination bouts. In addition, she qualified and took part in the Junior Olympics in Denver in February 2007. She has held several titles and has placed in the top five in numerous tournaments, including smaller competitions held between the larger events. She has fenced throughout the United States, as well as in Italy and Spain. As a student at Emma, Valigorsky was not only able to continue her interest in fencing, she was able to get credit for it through the school’s Practicum program, an independent study program offering students opportunities to enrich and extend their studies through on- and off-campus internships. Although some internships are more traditional, such as working in law, medical, and veterinary offices, and tutoring or teaching-assistance, others include wide-ranging interests such as figure skating, riflery, orchestra participation, and horseback riding. Anne Mossop, director of the Practicum program, said that a misperception exists that off-campus sports are an easy option. However, she noted, taking classes outside Emma inevitably takes extra time from a student’s already busy schedule, and requires students to be organized, responsible, time-oriented, and considerate of others to be successful. “When Lee first came to Emma, I was concerned for a new student taking on a heavy practice schedule and a sequence of away tournaments on top of Emma academics,” Mossop said. “But Lee successfully took on the challenge with determination and very hard work.” Valigorsky considers fencing a part what makes her different from most people. “I guess I never really think about fencing as a sport but just as something that I just do,” she said. As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated sport, she also sees herself as equal to her opponents. “Being a woman in the sport isn’t really something I think about, because there are so many women who are awesome at fencing. I don’t look at it like, ‘Wow, there are women fencers!’ because in this sport, women can be as good as, or even better, than the men. Beating a guy is a great feeling because you feel extremely powerful,” she said. This spring, Valigorsky was accepted on the Penn State fencing team, which will give her an opportunity to work with one of the highest-ranking women fencers. “[This] is something that I have been wanting for basically my entire fencing life,” she said. “I grew up around those coaches, and I am honored to get the chance to work with them for the next four years. They are truly the best coaches, and I thank them for putting faith in me and giving me this experience of a lifetime.” n —Alexis Murphy is a Practicum intern in the Emma Willard School Communications Office. 70
Emma Willard School
Nancy Taylor ’74—Continued from page 17
When the Democratic National Convention came to town in 2004, Taylor and her husband organized “Let Justice Roll,” a citywide interfaith worship service. The ancestral home of Old South Church, the Old South Meeting House on Milk Street in downtown Boston, was recently the site of Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick’s inauguration, an interreligious ceremony that Taylor helped plan. Back in 1773, Samuel Adams gave the signal for the “war whoops”at Old South Meeting House that triggered the Boston Tea Party. “We’ve been getting into hot water ever since!” said Taylor.
Preacher, CEO and Forward Thinker Taylor is a proponent of stem cell research and is pro-choice but not pro-abortion. “Why are impoverished women having babies while males are walking away? Abortion is a sad but viable option.” She believes that religion and science are complementary. “Evolution is a beautiful thing.” Named one of “The Best New Faces of 2005” by The Boston Globe, Taylor received the Building Bridges Award 2006 from the Religious Coalition for the Freedom to Marry. A supporter of gay marriage, Taylor hosts Gay Pride interfaith services at Old South and participates each year in Boston’s Gay Pride Parade. Old South holds an LGBT fellowship group, as well as many religious education and community outreach programs. It is home to a preschool, the Poor People’s United Fund, Amnesty International, Chorus Pro Musica and many 12-step support groups. Respected for its music, Old South Church has a choir, handbells ensemble, world renowned organists at Sunday services and an evening service with a live jazz group. Taylor is a member of several board of directors including Pax World Funds, Andover Newton Theological School, The Old South Meeting House and Ecclesia Ministries. Taylor admits that her job at Old South Church is unlike that of most Protestant ministers. “I’m not only a preacher but also the CEO of a historical building open to the public seven days a week. There is a lot of administrative work here, and often I’m writing my Sunday sermon on Saturday. I always begin with a biblical text and then take inspiration from books and current events. Transcripts and podcasts of Taylor’s sermons are now available on the Old South Web site. “I’ve heard from people as far away as Australia who’ve listened to us online,” she said. Taylor’s tremendous connection to the people of Old South was particularly comforting when her husband died in June 2006 after living with cancer for many years. His name was etched on a new 220-pound bell wheel crafted by the church moderator to help the original 1895 bell ring more easily and richly. “The bell calls all people to worship. It carries on my husband’s legacy. He was a person of faith, and he loved to welcome people to the church,” said Taylor.
In the Company of Great Women As Taylor perseveres and learns to live without her partner, she is strengthened by the company surrounding her. She sometimes talks with the ghosts of her predecessors at Old South. “Most were forward-thinking men and I think we’d get along,” she said. She also draws encouragement from the eight great women depicted in portraits on the walls of her Old South office. They are decidedly the only feminine touch in this darkly paneled room. Looking over Taylor as she works at her desk or thumbs through a book in search of inspiration are: Anne Frank, Virginia Woolf, Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhardt, Helen Keller, Pearl Bailey, “Babe” Didrikson Zaharias, and Zora Neale Hurston. Taylor laughs as she points to an old black-and-white photo taken in the late 1800s. Frances Johnston is seated in a most unladylike manner staring defiantly into the camera, her petticoat showing, a beer bottle in one hand and a cigarette in the other. “She was a very sought after professional photographer, one of the first women in the field. She took pictures of Mark Twain and five presidents, and this is her self-portrait. She is who she is. I like that.” n
—Patti DiBona is a freelance writer from Braintree, Massachusetts.