Ferne Robinson: An Era Remembered
by Mary Matthews and Dick Holt
About eleven years ago, the delightful Pat Mager and Joe McLellan tired of the burden of hosting the monthly "Fold, Staple, and Mutilate" event, at which Cap-M is readied for the kindly ministrations of the Postal Service. (And it can be a burden, even with such invariably tidy and considerate people as ourselves involved!)
Ariel Robinson, who had just become Cap-M's business manager, volunteered to shoulder the load. His wife Ferne willy-nilly became MWM's newest "hostess with the mostess." And she was.
Long the kindest of matriarchs, Ferne presided with dignity over FSM and its occasionally rowdy participants for many years. Whatever she may have thought in her secret heart of hearts, she tolerated the monthly invasion and organized chaos with such grace that no one felt unwelcome.
We remember Ferne as a deeply well-centered woman. Reticent to begin with, she made a virtue of listening first and talking later. Ever considerate of the feelings of others, Ferne tempered her words with such gentleness and courtesy that sometimes it was hours before one realized exactly what had been said. She "rode herd" on Ariel's exuberance and provided a steady balance that enriched us all.
We're grateful to Nancy Vogel for her sensitive tribute to Ferne in last month's Cap-M. Nancy was right. Ferne will be missed by everyone who had the good fortune to know her.
Posted June 24, 1998
