Last summer, Terry Christovich Gay returned to the Villa Rossa with her husband to share with him a place that had a huge impact on her life. She decided to go into law because of the class that she took here with Professor Donald Meiklejohn. She went on to practice in New Orleans for 47 years.
Terry, who has two children, met her Tampa-born lawyer husband in New York. She had a Proustian moment when they walked into Room 13, our Aula Magna, during her tour of the campus. She was reminded of Professor John Clark Adams’ passion for opera, something he transmitted to countless Syracuse Florence students.
During the tour, Terry had a chance to see the Villa Rossa garden for the first time. Back in 1971, Countess Bona Gigliucci still occupied the top floor of the Villa Rossa, and the only outdoor space Syracuse students had access to was the public Piazza Savonarola out front.
Another difference is that students would stay with two different families over their semester in Florence, though Terry would have preferred to remain in just one. “We would take the bus home for lunch!” Back then, lunch was the most important meal of the day, and was always cooked by Italian host mamme.
“Florence has my heart,” Terry sighed wistfully as she walked around her old stomping ground. She said Florence is much the same today as it was when she studied here, except for the presence of so many tourists.
Another lasting impact of the program for Terry were the friendships she solidified. She and her girlfriends all attended Sweet Briar College back home in the States. “The four of us really became good friends in Florence even though we knew each other before. We all adored our time at Syracuse and had great experiences with our host families. We can’t believe it was such a long time ago!”
A particularly bonding experience for the girls was hitchhiking to the Island of Capri.
She and Deborah Ziegler roomed together when they returned to Virginia and continued studying Italian. Like Terry, Deborah’s interest in law was also awakened in Prof. Meiklejohn’s class. “It has been a lot of fun to learn from Terry about her visit to Villa Rossa,” says Deborah. “Our Syracuse semester in Firenze was a pivotal and exceptional part of each of our lives, and it is heartwarming to know that the program is still thriving!”
Terry’s parents also visited her while she was in Florence and Terry found a letter her dad wrote to her afterward.
I hope the Perruzis are all well and know you will give them our best. You are really lucky to have been quartered with such kind and intelligent people and in this regard I would only have to say, somewhat immodestly I fear, that the Perruzis are very lucky themselves!
At the right of being unduly philosophic, I might express a few thoughts about your situation in Florence. You have many great friends whose company I know you will continue to enjoy, and whose companionship in such a pleasant environment will be doubly pleasant to you. But there will also be times when you will be alone; in that loveliest of cities solitude can contribute to a really rewarding experience. Your Mom likes to kid me about my devotion to “tombstone elegies” but she would agree with me that the opportunity to be alone and have time to consider the beauty and artistry of so many things would be a very fulfilling and happy thing.
From the letter Terry’s dad wrote to her while she was in Florence