Day 95: Philadelphia circles and blue drops

O'Keefe, Peach and Glass

My earrings today are another 'celebration' pair. I bought them in 2003 at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. The Museum has the most incredible collection, including a number of wonderful Georgia O'Keefe's, which I adore; clearly, it has a great shop too!


I was in town to collect an award for the best book in women and politics from the American Political Science Association for my first book Gendering Government. Rob and James came with me to the award ceremony; it was James' first overseas trip at 6 months old, he was such a terrific little traveller; the trip was made more memorable for feeding him solids for the first time.  

The award came completely out of the blue - I didn't even know that the publisher had submitted it for consideration. When I received the notification, I thought it was a prank by one of my colleagues as the message arrived on the same day as I'd had an interview for promotion, so I thought someone was having fun with me. I was stunned when I realised it was the real deal; it was a great honour and one that has profoundly shaped my career. It gave me entree into a wonderful community of US feminist political scientists - I remember Karen Beckwith, Mary Katzenstein and Lee Ann Banaszack being especially welcoming to me at that particular conference - and it bought attention to my work that eventually enabled me to link up with Georgina Waylen and Fiona Mackay and all my other friend/colleagues in the golden web.

The foundations of that first book led me onto my next big project on the ICC which culminated in The Politics of Gender Justice at the International Criminal Court; both books were the product of hard work and the inspiration of many people. One of those people was a most wonderful teacher that anyone could wish for, Marg Walsh. Marg was my English teacher in my last years in High School and someone I - and indeed the Chappell clan - was fortunate to reconnect with over the past decade or so. 

Ree with Marg and Mum, both just finished chemo

It was not just in her subject matter that Marg was inspirational, but also in the way she went about the world. Marg had great compassion, a vehement sense of social justice, an intellectual inquisitiveness, a strong faith and a wicked sense of humour. Trying to finish the ICC book was hard going as it coincided with Mum's illness and final days, as well as a crushing cancer diagnosis for Marg, but despite her condition she was always there egging me on to get it done: "Don't tickle it to death, darling girl" she'd say - it's a wonderful phrase that I have adopted - I find it very useful with PhD students!

Me and Marg: I

I was so happy to have been able to publicly thank Marg for her influence at the launch of my ICC book in November 2015. She was, along with Mum and Helen (Day 50), one of the three wise women I dedicated the book to. Although Marg was terminally ill at the time, she died in February 2016 - she and her darling Kev travelled from Canberra for the launch; it was exhausting for her but it was so special for us both that she was there. The day after I'd sent her a photo of us together, she replied with her usual wit:  I’m so past my use by date and I don’t like that top and jacket any more but, was I HAPPY!

Me and Marg:II

Marg's darling husband Kev and I still keep in touch. He called me earlier this week to check up on me and this morning I received a letter from him reminding me that Marg's still very close. He enclosed this photo from the launch, which is the twin to the one I had, both showing how happy we were to be together that night. 

I miss Marg terribly and have been thinking of her often during this treatment, knowing she went through an even more brutal regime with barely a whimper. Yoga was her tonic - something I plan to get into once this is all over. I have kept her wonderful emails to remind me of her wisdom and courage, and look at these often. They include gems this:
We are more complete human beings for having known suffering and for having had the opportunity to understand that suffering can expand the heart, depth the love, unveil to us the deep truths of who and what really matters to us in life. 




Marg and Kev have raised two incredible sons, Dan now living in the US and Simon a forensic expert in the senior ranks of the Australian Federal Police, who do them both so proud, and together have produced 5 gorgeous grandchildren.


Day 95 and the weather has been as close to perfect as it can get for me: sunny but with a hint of coolness. I started with more energy today so I was able to join Rob and Molly for a gentle morning walk in the sparkling sunshine. We then caught up briefly with our dear friend Bretty, who runs a art gallery that has relocated just around the corner. I wasn't able to say much - I smiled and nodded where necessary, but there is a slight improvement in my voice today. Dr Rachel emailed me to say this is definitely a chemo side effect, and should improve as my immunity lifts, and not to worry about any permanent damage. I was exhausted when I got home and had a sleep this afternoon before the boys got home... ready for another weekend.