Happy 98th Birthday, Louise!
Last night I had the honor of attending Louise Dillery’s 98th birthday party. And it was indeed a party: she wore a tiara, received a pile of gifts, and the room sang ‘Happy Birthday’ to her first in English, then in French. Her three surviving children were there, including her daughter, Denise who lives in Las Vegas (shown in photo above), and she was surrounded by long-time friends and neighbors. There were also a handful of Louise’s former French students — people who graduated high school in the 1970s — who were inspired to become French teachers themselves. The woman I sat next to taught French for 27 years — all because of Louise.
The sentiment in the room was unanimous: we all love this amazing woman, and were so happy to be able to celebrate with her!
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Want to read an essay I wrote about Louise’s time in tuberculosis quarantine? Here’s a link.