salt of the earth
Standing watch over Collegiate’s Junior Kindergarten playground is a towering sycamore tree with an enormous trunk and sprawling canopy of branches that provide shade, protection, and comfort to those who happen by, stop to play, or simply sit on the hexagonal bench that surrounds it.
This south-of-the-creek landmark extends at least 60 feet into the air, measures approximately three-and-a-half-feet in diameter, and predates even the earliest 1950’s-vintage campus buildings.
When the Lower School underwent a facelift in the late ‘90’s, experts estimated that the sycamore was planted 75 years earlier. There was talk then of removing it because of irreparable damage that nearby construction work could cause, but cooler heads prevailed. Still, an arborist predicted survival at no better than 50/50, but the mighty sycamore flourishes today as a symbol of strength, resilience, and stability.
Recently, I visited the Lower School to gather information about the goings-on in JK for a Reflections piece in the New Normal series. During my conversation with Rives Barksdale, the JK grade level chair, I referenced the plaque on the bench that pays tribute to Anne Velez, who served Collegiate’s youngest children from 1986 until her passing on May 29, 2003, and who displayed those noble attributes that the sycamore represents.
Do you think there’s anyone still around who remembers Anne? I wondered aloud.
“I grew up with Anne Velez,” Rives replied.
Whoa! I thought. What a small world!
Turns out Rives and Anne were friends in Petersburg and attended Bollingbrook School together.
“Anne was a year younger, but I knew her well through sports,” Rives said. “She was very athletic. I think she played every sport, but we played soccer and field hockey together. Anne was a total team player. When I think about Anne, I think competitive spirit with a gentle soul. And, of course, she had a great sense of humor.”
The bench, crafted from redwood by her friend and colleague Peter Tlusty, is an understated yet totally fitting memorial.
“It’s very busy with JK students,” Rives said. “This tree has a lot of history with grades throughout the Lower School. It’s a place for learning, resting, and relaxing.”
So who was Anne Velez?
Throughout her career, she filled the role of teacher, assistant director, and director of Collegiate’s child care operations, either the after-school program (called the Children’s House at one time) or all-day Cougar Care for faculty and staff.
She was known for her nurturing manner, her collegial approach, and her abiding and genuine care for colleagues as well as the children entrusted to her care by their parents, many of whom were leaving their young ones for the first time to return to work.
In the early days, the child care operation had no permanent home. It bounced among rented space at Derbyshire Baptist Church, rooms in the West Gym that now house the physical plant department, and the basement of the house on North Mooreland Road that’s now home of the business office. Regardless of the venue or its limitations, Anne created a warm, loving environment for colleagues and children.
“They don’t make ‘em like Anne Velez anymore,” said Gina Chapman, whom Anne hired in 1999 and who succeeded her as director of Cougar Care when she passed away. “She was salt of the earth. She’d do anything for anyone. She just loved those kids like they were her own.
“She was always going to tell you the truth. She didn’t just run the program. She was in there every day, working with the kids, loving on the kids. She led by example, for sure. Anne taught me everything I know. I wouldn’t be where I am today (associate director of Canterbury Community Nursery School) if I hadn’t met Anne Velez.”
Amanda Surgner, who retired in 2016 as vice-president of advancement, knew Anne as a colleague and as one who cared for her children.
“Anne built a really good team,” Amanda said. “They looked at their work as a really meaningful part of the school culture and a commitment to young parents who were trying to figure out how to have quality child care. She was gentle. She didn’t have to be the center of attention. She knew how to roll her sleeves up and give care to kids as if they were her own children.”
Farley Macdonald, a Middle School science teacher and three-season coach, worked in the day care programs with Anne in the early years of his career.
“Anne was a giver,” Farley said. “She was super generous with her time, her energy. She was patient. She was upbeat. She was positive about everything.”
When Farley’s future wife Jen began coming to Richmond from Northern Virginia in the mid-90’s, Anne was one of the first people she met.
“Jen wasn’t in love with Richmond when she first got here,” Farley said. “It was Anne who took her out one night and introduced her to a group of friends who she’s still close to today.”
Anne served as a bridesmaid in Jen’s and Farley’s wedding May 8, 1999, and the Macdonalds shared a close friendship and professional connection with Anne throughout her life.
“Kids just gravitated to Anne,” Farley said. “She was like the big sister that everybody loved, from the staff to the kids. You just felt good being around her. I miss her. I’m so glad her memory is living on. You loved Anne, and Anne loved everyone unconditionally. I should live my life more like Anne.”
