It has been ten years since President Bacow and his wife Adele Fleet Bacow first moved into Gifford House. As the popular couple prepares to depart from Tufts this June, Her Campus offers a closer look into the female half of Tufts’ most famous duo.
(Adele at her favorite place in Gifford House)
Being a native of Florida, what do you miss the most?
The weather and the beach.
What is your idea of the perfect vacation?
Time on a beach with Larry, of course!
What is the best present you’ve ever received?
The best present I’ve gotten was a surprise Mother’s Day party where Larry invited the a capella singing group from MIT where he was teaching at the time. It was a surprise launch for the book I was writing at the time about design and urban planning. Larry had hidden food for everyone, and we had a picnic outside.
Who’s your favorite Beatle?
Paul, of course.
What’s your favorite holiday?
I love Thanksgiving because it’s about food, it’s at home, and you don’t have to spend all day in services.
Do you have any hidden talents?
I have good instincts about people but nothing exciting.
If you could give advice to the 20 year old you, what would it be?
Adele, you lucky duck, life’s only going to get better.
If you could have dinner with any famous person, dead or alive, who would it be?
God, if that’s a person, and if he or she exists, I’d like to know.
What were you like in high school?
I was nerdy, into the newspaper and journalism.
Were you a band geek?
I was totally not a band geek. I was in this club called the anchor club, it was a service club. I used to be really involved in dance, like Israeli folk dancing.
What did you want to be when you were younger?
Like most little girls who took ballet I wanted to be a ballerina. Then, in my teens, I wanted to be a journalist. I was a teen reporter for The Florida Times Union and got to interview people.
Did you interview anyone famous?
Well, teenagers who were doing interesting things around the community.
How did you become interested in urban planning?
What I loved about journalism was the opportunity to get to know people, to interview them, and to ask them what you wanted. But then I realized I wanted to be one of those people who was doing interesting things rather than just writing about it.
What drove you to urban planning specifically?
I volunteered for Head Start [a national program that provides low-income children with educational services] and it was so different from my own life. I literally rode my bike across the railroad tracks to volunteer at Head Start. Back then, Jacksonville was really segregated. I wanted to see what it was like to work with those kids and to see if I could play a small role in the lives of others.
What led you to start your own consulting firm?
I was working for a consulting firm in Boston that I adored. The Lila Wallace Reader’s Digest Fund wanted me to work for them to create a new national Urban Parks Program working with mayors and community leaders. Initially we thought I would have to create a non-profit in order to take on this assignment which ended up not being the case. I had been working for a long time at my previous consulting firm and realized maybe it was time to do something new. This opportunity was an impetus to help me realize it was time to go in a different direction, so I left the firm and created Community Partners Consultants.
Who played the most significant influence in your life?
Professionally, that boss, Bob Branwein gave me the confidence and encouragement to go for that job. He was compassionate and taught me a lot about community development. Personally, my parents were a very quiet source of role modeling. They taught me a lot about the community and giving to others without expecting things in return.
Do you think that those values of giving back drew you to Tufts?
Larry and I were both very happy where we were, but the personality of Tufts as a campus, the students and faculty, the values of Tufts, were the biggest draw for us. Tufts has values identical to our: the focus on community outreach and global citizenship.
How did you and Larry meet?
We met on a blind date. We met after we both graduated from college. My friend who lived across the hall from me freshman year was going out with his roommate.
How did your first date go?
It was so much fun. We went to a cultural festival, the Armenian Festival in Watertown. We danced, drank ouzo, and we ate.
Did you know you were going to marry Larry at that point?
No, because I had just gotten out of a long term relationship and wasn’t looking for anything serious. But Larry says he want home and said to his roommate, and I quote, “She’s the kind of girl I could marry.”
What will you miss most about Tufts?
I think I’ll miss getting to meet these fabulous students and seeing them develop in four years, that’s a memory that will always stay with me.
What is your favorite Tufts tradition?
Matriculation, it’s all about new beginnings.
What lies in the road ahead, beyond Tufts?
We’ll be moving not too far away to Brookline where we started our married life 35 years ago. My planning work will stay the same but I’m looking for more time and space to smell the roses and do things at a more leisurely pace instead of constantly having to be on the move.
How do you think you’ve shaped Tufts and how do you think Tufts has shaped you?
I don’t think I’ve shaped Tufts, I think I’ve reflected and immersed myself in Tufts. Tufts was a great place before and Larry and his team have taken it to even greater heights. Tufts has broadened my perspective internationally. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by bright students, to live in the middle of campus and to participate in so many different activities.
What is your favorite place on the Tufts campus?
The library rooftop, and that’s one thing I had a hand in. The first day we were here, I went up on the rooftop and it was just concrete bunkers and grass. Being able to see the views of Boston, I thought this is a space that needs public art and landscape design. We had a national contest and with the help of the Mendell Family, we were able to put that in place. I am so proud of it, so in a way, I guess I have helped shaped Tufts.
If you could sum up your past 10 years here in 5 words or less, what would they be?
Fun, rewarding, stimulating, exhausting, and eye-opening.