Eunice Schaeffer
Eunice grew up within sixty miles of Oberlin, but went to school in the east, earning her Masters of Nursing from Yale University. Since then she has practiced nursing and worked in hospital administration in many parts of the United States, most recently in Lexington, Massachusetts.
She came to Kendal at Oberlin October 12, 1993, and has lived in the same unit ever since. She remembers how smooth the move was. She and her husband Nick chose this cottage since it is near to the health center. No mud issues by their place when they moved in – clearly they had chosen the "right side of town!"
In addition to her activities in the American Nurses Association and the Red Cross, Eunice has been an active member of the League of Women Voters and Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Elyria.
Her son Frank is middle school teacher in Massachusetts. He’s also a registered architect who designed and built his own eco-friendly, 17-acre, amazing homestead reachable only by off-road vehicles. He even built a tree house for his son Mateo. Eunice visits with him during school vacations.
Eunice isn't as busy as she once was, but she still covers the desk in the health center once a week. It is nice to think of all the friends she’s made over the years. Many have passed, but they left their marks. Eunice feels fortunate that her husband was able to be here until 1999, but it is still hard that he is gone. When she sorts his papers, she’s reminded of the range of things he was interested in – divinity, language, philosophy, transportation. He died two days before Christmas. She knew he was failing, but didn't expect it so quickly. The hardest thing was coming home alone. She still misses him.
She worked at starting Solo Diners to help people mix and have a feeling that they belonged. These are the things that make us grow closer.
Eunice thinks that at Kendal there is a clear desire to be helping and accepting of everyone, not focusing on their limitations. We don't have "cliques." All groups welcome and mix much more than at places where there is a more narrow focus. We need to make sure that we keep it up.
The proximity of the college gives us more variations in the community than in most small towns. The Quaker attitude of acceptance and the great variety of things to do make this an outstanding place to live.
There Is a special bond here. We have own ideas and we argue issues, but we are still able to come together. It seems that the rest of world can't get it together and find what it holds in common. That sense of acceptance and community is what makes Kendal at Oberlin so great!
(return to main page)