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Nelda was Dr. Romer’s Executive Assistant. She was an “old maid” as unmarried women were called. I knew nothing about her private life. (May 14, 2007: I received a phone call from Joe Iacuzzo about Nelda. He was trying to verify various things about her, including whether or not she was married. The evidence he has collected to day is ambiguous, so while my memory is that she wasn’t married, it may be incorrect.) She was just there in Dr. Romer’s office suite, the person who received his mail, did his typing and filing, organized his days, set up meetings, made sure he went to the right places at the right time, made travel arrangements, and even went out of the collection expeditions with Dr. Romer. She was a small woman who took care of herself. She was about 5' 2", i.e. the same as mom, and had greying hair. She’s siting on the porch of Romers’ Pelham home, holding a leash for a Boston Terrier.
My contact with her was usually in Dr. Romer’s office. Dad would send me up there for something and I’d talk to her since she was usually the person who had whatever it was I needed. She was always at a large desk, busy at paperwork, typing, reading, writing, filing, answering the phone, quietly competent and courteous.
The thing I liked best about her was that she treated me kindly, even with respect. That made me feel good. Just look at the situation. Here I was, a 14 year old kid fresh from the tiny seaside wilderness town of Seward, standing in the middle of Harvard University in Boston, feeling like a neophyte pulled in from the tribal areas to a Mecca. A more extreme contrast doesn’t exist. I was intimidated and overwhelmed by it all, so her kindness meant a great deal to me.
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