Thoughts on Antonia
In the winter of 2010, I was deciding on the name for my new gallery in Chatham. A couple of things were happening at the same time. First, January marked what would have been my paternal grandmother’s 100th birthday. At the same time, I was reading My Antonia by Willa Cather. It’s a pioneer story and reminded me of my grandmother who came here to start a new life, a pioneer herself.
My grandmother, Antonia Boreffi, was born in Arnara, Italy, a small hill town south of Rome. Antonia migrated to the United States in the 1920’s with her husband Domenico. They both worked for the Endicott-Johnson Shoe Company. Wikipedia describes the Endicott-Johnson Shoe company:
It is hard to put into words what an amazing woman she was: loving, funny and compassionate. Although she has been gone for many years, she remains a force for her family and friends that knew and loved her.
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