An influential woman for March 8th

Since March 8th  is International Women’s Day, I thought I’d mention a very influential person in my life personally – Sr. Helene.
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 A no-nonsense French-Canadian nun who did not tolerate mediocrity, loved math, and embraced computer technology in the 1980s!

She cobbled together a computer lab of sorts with donated equipment. Quite the feat for our modest Catholic elementary school with many families of equally modest means. She also loved New England sports and played kickball with us in her full nun habit.

She convinced my parents to purchase me a C= 64. At about $400 in today’s money, a significant expense for my parents and for only one of their children at that. Dad, no doubt, worked more than a few extra days of overtime to buy that computer.

And out of those years of configuring the computer, I somehow obtained a skillset that funded all my outdoor jaunts over the years.

I (often!) joke about my Catholic school education, but in this case, I can make a direct line between those years in the increasingly distant past and my current life.

From Wiki commons

More info about Sr. Helene here – https://lambertfuneralhome.tributes.com/obituary/show/Helene-Gagnon-PM-103237917

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Steve Cockburn
Steve Cockburn
2 years ago

Nice one Paul. A lot to be said gif dedicated teachers and mentors. Life long impacts.