It’s rare to meet people in life who continue to inspire you. For me, Edith is such a person. I first met her when she turned 90. That same year, I had started working at WILPF, and the secretariat was flooded with calls from members insisting that we throw a party for Edith – so we did.

On the day of the celebration, members showed up from all over the country, and many who couldn’t make it sent emails and letters. I didn’t quite understand all the hype, but later, when I met Edith for lunch in her cozy little apartment, I understood exactly what it was all about.

From then on, Edith became someone I, and many of us, turned to whenever we needed insights into WILPF’s history or when we found something in the office archives that we didn’t quite understand. We always left with more than we came for – not just history, but ideas on what we could do, where we should focus, and what solutions were possible. Her ideas were always excellent – far more tangible and practical than what we at the secretariat would have come up with on our own.

Later, I attended her 95th birthday, then her 99th, and finally, her 100th. I thought of Edith just two weeks ago when I happened to come across an old voice recorder at home. When I played it, I heard a conversation with Edith about WILPF’s role in the creation of the UN.

I will never forget Edith. She is a tremendous source of inspiration.

NB! The photo is from a day when Maria Butler and I visited Edith in her apartment.