By Rebecca Wright
Back in December, Applied Mechanics received an incredibly generous donation in memory of a fascinating and much-loved woman, Lois Nolan Alley. On Mother’s Day, we gathered for a celebratory thank you dinner with Lois’s daughter, Marta, and granddaughter, Applied Mechanics Associated Artist Maura Krause, to show our gratitude and learn a little more about Lois and her legacy. Here is some of what we learned:
Lois was a painter. She took it up later in life, after her kids had left the house. When she completed a painting, she always had a lot to say about what she would change were she to paint it again.
Lois was a great reader. She introduced Maura to many important authors, including Ursula Le Guin, and to the concept of reading to gain access to a writer’s imagination, to the inside of a mind, as well as for literary pleasure.
Lois was a world traveler. Originally from Kentucky, she had Southern manners, and was so funny and sweet that when she looked up at a Red Lobster waiter and said, in regards to her salad, “It’s slimy” he couldn’t even be affronted.
Lois was loyal. She granted everyone their dignity. She was perceptive and kind. She was a tomboy before that was really appreciated. Both Marta and Maura spoke of her as someone born in the wrong era, before the world knew how to recognize her gifts and grant broader opportunities to women.
Applied Mechanics is greatly honored to share in the legacy of this strong and lovely woman. We loved getting to celebrate her with Maura and Marta on Mother’s Day. We are grateful to have such friends in our corner.
A selection of paintings by Lois Nolan Alley:
