From the start at I Tatti Shona was affectionate and welcoming. In the library, noticing I was a little disoriented, Shona came over to show me how the photocopier worked. From then on we had many opportunities to talk about archives, about having coincided unwittingly in Bologna in 1994-95, and about her family, especially the rewarding year her daughter was having in Florence. In all of our conversations I admired the energy and warmth that she radiated. As my stay at the center came to an end, again it was Shona, as if by chance, who marked my departure with her great capacity for affection. We coincided in the garden, where she was walking with friends from New York when I was trying to sneak some last minute pictures. There could be no better gift than the photos we had taken of us together. When she wrote at Christmas from the United States, I wondered whether we’d ever see each other again. I know that the generous warmth she offered from our first to our last encounter will always remain with me.

Maria Jose Del Rio-Barredo
Universidad Autónoma de Madrid