My mother studied painting with Stuart Davis

In the 1940's, my mother studied painting with Stuart Davis, the groundbreaking American modernist, seen at the Museum of Modern Art NYC. She took painting at the NYC New School for Social Research, as it was called, a haven for progressive intellectuals and artists. I am so proud of her, and so sad that, as a woman, she never received the appreciation I feel she deserved for her paintings. Maybe that's what motivates me to be sure that artists—women artists in particular—are seen, are valued, and compensated financially.

But she was an entrepreneurial powerhouse, and I felt like I had an honorary MBA by the time I left home. I learned that you always find solutions, to follow what you're passionate about and work hard at it, don't listen to the sexists, and to be brave enough to be your own quirky self.

While my childhood wasn't a piece of cake (imagine eccentrics and no therapy), the gifts she gave me were what I pass on to you, my students.

As of this writing, my mother is 101 and a half.