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FEATURES (The following tribute to Elise Zimmer Lafferty, class of 1926, was submitted by her son, Tom Lafferty) 7/5/10 The experience that my mother Elise Zimmer Lafferty had of growing up and going to school in Bexley was so central in my mother’s life that it seems natural to honor her in this way. Many of us remember fondly our growing-up years, but a few minutes conversation with my mother left no doubt the Bexley experience had been something special. Her family moved from the east side of Columbus to a new home on Parkview Avenue in 1910 when she was 2 years old, and she lived there until 1929 when her father died of injuries sustained in an auto crash. Her mother had passed away 10 years earlier. My mother was a member of the first class to attend all four years at Montrose School, the new high school –graduating in 1926. Her lifelong interest in the theater visibly began with her lead role as Judy Abbott in that year’s senior class play – Jean Webster’s “Daddy-Long-Legs.” She was one of three friends who were inseparable during the high school years. My mother was raised a Methodist, one of her friends was Jewish and the other was Catholic. Such friendships today would be unremarkable, but that was a different time. The principal (I think his name was Mr. Dietrich) thought it so unusual that he called them into his office once to tell them how much he admired their friendship and how extraordinary he thought it was. They remained friends for the rest of their lives. My mother pursued her interest in the theatre. I think as a young woman she had dreams, but marriage and a family intervened. She was active with Players Club (a leading amateur theatre group in Columbus) in the early years. Later, she taught speech, directed a high school play and participated in Stadium Theater productions at Ohio State. When the Alumni Association published its first alumni directory back in the ’90’s, my mother immediately signed up to get one.
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