In Memoriam
Jean Seeler Gifford ’60 passed away peacefully on August 9, 2024, at the age of 85. She was a consummate lover of the performing arts and a frequent presence in our audiences. The Seeler Studio Theatre bears her name in honor of her long-time support of Middlebury’s Theatre Department. We’re happy to share these remembrances of Jean.
I will always remember Jean’s unconditional appreciation for the Theatre program. She would attend every production she could, in Wright or Seeler, and she would always stay for the talkback after the show. Inevitably she would ask the students a question, and the question made it crystal-clear just how deeply she valued the student experience.
—Claudio Medeiros, Professor and Chair, Theatre Department
Jean will be eternally connected to her love of, and attendance at, the Theatre Department’s productions. Invariably, she was front row center on opening nights; just as invariably, she was in the same seat the following night. Her claim was that “I need to see them twice to understand them,” while her comments about the work always made it clear that of course she’d gotten it opening night. She only wanted to see it again. It’s apt that there is a theatre on the campus named for her.
—Cheryl Faraone, Professor Emerita, Theatre Department and Gender, Sexuality, and Feminist Studies Department
Jean was a Middlebury student, class of ’60, who participated in the Theatre Department’s early days, learning from its founder Erie Volkert and first designer ”Cap” Potter. Her relationship with them and with the department lasted more than fifty years. Tender the past as you would yourselves be tendered…
—Richard Romagnoli, Professor Emeritus, Theatre Department
Jean was a tireless arts aficionado. She routinely attended performances not once but twice, just to make sure she did not miss a smile on stage, a telling phrase, a meaningful gesture. She avidly supported the performing arts in general and theater in particular, as well as various athletic teams. Opinionated and outspoken, she was a towering force of nature who will be sorely missed by all of us at her alma mater who had the good fortune to know her.
—Pieter Broucke, Associate Dean for the Arts, Professor of History of Art and Architecture
Jean’s path as a generous and committed alumna was unique. She would be the first to say she wasn’t a top student and she didn’t have close friendships. But, as a self-made and successful career woman, she decided to return to campus for her 25th Reunion. She wasn’t expecting to connect closely with classmates and experience a sense of belonging. But she did, and engaged in a decades long relationship with the College as a volunteer, philanthropist, course auditor, Panthers Fan, and enthusiastic supporter of all things Middlebury. She proudly sported a “Midd 60” license plate. Her love for the people and place were palpable.
—Deb Wales, Office of Advancement
Jean and I discovered only a couple of years ago that we grew up in the same community, and attended the same schools in Ardsley, New York—we even had one beloved teacher in common. And then we each ended up attending Middlebury College. Jean and I shared a love of theater and opera, enjoying each other’s company on Town Hall Theater Tours to London, Paris, Berlin, and Vienna. I am particularly missing Jean this week as we are in opera production. She always “adopted” singers (helped underwrite their salaries through our “Adopt-An-Artist” program–sometimes the whole cast), and she loved to come to rehearsals, enjoying the process and talking to singers. And she always wanted to come to the opera twice to be sure she didn’t miss anything! Her presence in my life and the life of the arts in Middlebury will indeed be missed.
—Mary Longey ’78, Opera Company of Middlebury and Town Hall Theater
Jean touched the lives of every field hockey player and family with her passionate participation in our seasons over the last decade. Her tireless support created opportunities for growth and ensured that these were accessible to every woman in the Middlebury field hockey community. We are indebted to Jean for her contributions that have enriched all our lives within and we miss her presence on our sidelines on each gameday here at home on Peter Kohn Field.
—Katharine DeLorenzo, Field Hockey Coach
In addition to loving the arts, Jean was also a superfan and supporter of Middlebury College athletics—women’s sports in particular. Jean will be celebrated by the Middlebury field hockey community on Sunday, October 13 at halftime and following the home game (12:00 PM, Peter Kohn Field).
Jean Seeler Gifford’s obituary appeared in the Addison Independent here: https://www.addisonindependent.com/2024/08/28/jean-seeler-gifford-85-of-middlebury/