Remembering Beatrice

Last November, when my husband and I were in the U.K., we had the pleasure of dining with Ronald Green, a professor of religion at Dartmouth who was teaching one of the 'Off-Campus' (Semester Abroad) programs in Scotland. In the course of conversation, I described what I do for a living, and he replied that his mother, now passed on, had been an avid rug hooker in her day. So I asked Ron to send me some information so that I might share her legacy with you. With the help of his sister, Bunny Lawrence, he sent along photos and information to me in short order. Little did I know what charming pictures of her rugs he would send! I share them, and a little bit about Beatrice Green with you now. Something tells me I would have enjoyed knowing her!

Beatrice Green was born in 1911 and died in 2002. She worked for much of her life as a medical secretary. She was of the generation of women back then who were rarely admitted to medical schools, although she always yearned to be a doctor. Her son believes that the care she brought to her crafts would also have made her a great surgeon. Bunny remembers her dyeing the wool and stripping it. She says, "She was so talented and wise, smart beyond her years".

Ten years after the death of her husband, she remarried and took the name of her second husband, Elar. She was an avid craftswoman, doing various forms of painting on wood and glass, and hooking and braiding rugs.

Beatrice and Ron, taken around 1999.



And some of her rugs--this one is my favorite.