RE Log Fall 2019

always to make a difference.” She’s also humble and unassuming – the kind of person who would talk about everyone else under the sun before talking about herself. But she reveals who she is by talking about the things she’s proud of. She’s proud of the cottages. She’s proud of her two cats, Ginny and Dave, who have their own book-lined playroom with a luxurious complex of scratching posts. She’s proud of her family: a long line of mavericks that includes a world-class modernist painter and a real-life Indiana Jones. And she’s proud of her ties to Ransom Everglades, an institution that has been tightly interwoven with her family for three generations. She went to Everglades; her sister Carol Krech ’74 went to Everglades, as did her sister Cherry Darling Krech Fulcher ’76 , who sadly passed away last year at the age of 60. Her husband, Andy, and his three brothers all went to Ransom. Her father, M. Chapin Krech, was Assistant Headmaster of the Ransom School (1958-1963) – before he became Assistant Headmaster of Everglades (1965-1969). Twenty years later, she and Andy sent their son, Giles Neale ’98 , to Ransom Everglades. One might suspect the cats went there, too. Lili Neale was instrumental in organizing the reunion celebrations for the Class of 1969, including, a 50-year- reunion celebration that 14 out of 22 alumnae attended. For this and “years of joyful dedication to Ransom Everglades,” she was honored by Head of School Penny Townsend with the 2019 Head of School’s Award. “She is the link for our classmates,” Durant said. What’s kept her coming back to RE? Partly the bonds she still feels with her class 50 years later. “I just love my classmates,” The Neales have three cottages, two of them linked by a corridor, all built in the ’30s and clad in the same rustic canary- yellow siding. They started with just one when they moved here as newlyweds in 1974; then they bought the other two next door in ’88 for barely the price of the land. The expansion allowed them to make room for some modern amenities, but they held on to all the old touches that they’d fallen in love with: beams crossing every ceiling, a room paved with flamboyant Cuban tiles. Like the Pagoda, the cottages are built to let the breeze flow through them. They exude that particular kind of Old Florida pluck that evolves, over time, into gravitas. This isn’t a story about a home; it’s a story about the woman who lives there. But the home testifies to the two qualities that most define her: an upbeat, irrepressible spirit, and overwhelming warmth. To her classmates at Everglades School for Girls, where she graduated in 1969, she was an unforgettable presence on campus, involved in everything and always happy to lend a hand. Fifty years later, she’s just as energetic as ever. “We met the first year I started there, and Lili was always very enthusiastic, outgoing, and friendly. She always gave me a lift, especially when I was a little down,” said Susan Fleming ’69 , a longtime friend. “She still has that youthful enthusiasm about her.” “She exemplified the ideal of an ‘Everglades Girl,’” said Mary Beth Norton Durant ’69 , another close friend and classmate. “At school, she worked and played hard, cared deeply about others and sought “S he exemplified the ideal of an ‘Everglades Girl.’ At sch l, she ked and played hard, cared deeply a ut others and ught always to make a difference.” – Mary Beth Norton Durant ’69, a close friend and classmate. Everglades Class of 1969 with Head of School Penny Townsend d 16 Ransom Everglades LOG FALL 2019