En mémoire de Georgia Achard (LGB, 1960)
C’est avec une immense tristesse que nous vous annonçons le décès de Georgia Ehrgott Achard (LGB, 1960).
Georgia fut une ambassadrice exceptionnelle de l’Ecolint, s’investissant de manière entièrement bénévole, avec une générosité et une constance remarquables, pour faire vivre et rayonner la communauté des alumni. Elle a œuvré sans relâche pour maintenir le groupe des années 1958–1964 actif et uni, organisant et accueillant les réunions chez elle aux côtés de son mari, Olivier Achard (LGB, 1964). Son engagement désintéressé, son sens de l’accueil et son attachement profond à l’esprit d’Ecolint ont marqué durablement tous ceux qui ont eu la chance de la connaître.
La famille Ecolint perd une membre précieuse, et nous partageons notre profonde tristesse avec ses proches et tous ceux qu’elle a touchés.
Nous partageons ci-dessous un texte écrit par sa sœur, Pamela Ehrgott McLemore (LGB, 1962).
"As many of you know, she met Olivier while they both were living and working in NYC. The immediate bond started the day they met and learned that they had both attended Ecolint. They married, moved to Geneva, had two beautiful children and moved to Perroy. And I can honestly say that this is where her happy life began.
She loved being surrounded by nature’s magnificence and shared it generously with all of us. My first visit to Perroy, with my children, in 1972, introduced me to a Swiss way of life that neither of us had met during our boarding school years.
Besides moving to Perroy, in my opinion, the event that continued the expansion of her joy and her outgoing personality, started to happen in 1982 when Ecolint decided to organize a global reunion in Geneva in 1984. Please remember that in these years there was no such thing as the internet. Also, as is normal after 20 years from leaving school – especially an international school – we had lost touch with many of our dear “brothers and sisters” from our boarding school. She started going into Geneva to volunteer in the alumni office, hand typing and writing to friends around the world to update addresses and tell them about the reunion. It was a monstrous task, but one that gave great rewards, as one-by-one dear friends were located.
Then with the generosity that she has become famous for, she and Olivier opened their home and La Maison d’Ete to host a Sunday Lunch for our group on the final day of the reunion. The first year we were over 120, and proudly the largest class group at the reunion, thanks to Georgia’s efforts. This reunion has continued every 5 years since, and the party in Perroy has been to all, the highlight and the most important day of the reunion. Yes, the group is smaller now, but still as close. And Georgia has long become the Princess, the Queen, the Mother of the group."