To: The
St. Lawrence Community
From: President
Daniel F. Sullivan
Date: September
17, 2007
Subject: In
Memoriam: Eliane Pigache
We have learned of the passing on Saturday of a St. Lawrence community
member most of us have never met, but who had a profound influence
on generations of our student participants in the international program
in Rouen, France. Eliane Pigache taught in our France program
for over 30 years. I am grateful to Professor Ingrid Stipa,
who took time this weekend to provide me with thoughtful details
so I could honor Mme. Pigache.
Eliane Pigache started teaching for St. Lawrence as a graduate student
in French Literature at the Faculté de Lettres et Sciences
Humaines at the Université de
Rouen in the late 1960s and continued until her retirement as assistant
director of the program in 2003. For many years she and her
husband Bernard were the mainstay of our Rouen program—she
as the head teacher in French literature and in charge of general
pedagogy and he, as the group doctor. As Professor Stipa says “Both
Eliane and Bernard were exceedingly faithful and devoted to
St. Lawrence. They did far more for the students and the directors
than their positions called for. Not only were they our contact
with the community when it came to setting up internships and finding
families and faculty to teach in the program, but it was customary
for them to host each student group at their apartment a minimum
of four times a semester. Bernard still has photo albums filled with
pictures of the various student groups they got to know over the
years. The students greatly appreciated Eliane as a teacher—she
got excellent evaluations—and were touched by Bernard’s
gentle and caring manner as a doctor. Whenever they returned to France
after having participated in the program, students never failed to
call on Mme. and M. Pigache and were always warmly welcomed.”
Ann and I will extend our heartfelt condolences to her husband
Bernard, their daughter, Marion, and two grandchildren. Memorial
services are scheduled for Wednesday, September 19 in St. Nicolas, France. Our
memories of Mme. Pigache can be shared with our on-line
memorial page; if you wish to send a card to her family, you
can direct your mail to University Communications and they will forward
any notes they receive.
