Sunday, September 6, 2009

Obituary

Following Doctor Walker's advice, I am going to write my obituary.
Allison Porambo (September 12, 1991- ????), member of the conservation department at the Courtauld Institute in London, England, passed away yesterday in her sleep. She leaves behind two sons, a daughter, seven grandchildren, and two great-grandchildren. She is predeceased by her sister and her husband.
Allison, born in Gaithersburg, Maryland, in the United States, was raised in nearby Bowie, Maryland. She went to American University in Washington, DC for her undergraduate studies, receiving a BA in Art History and a minor in Studio Art. She went to the Courtauld Institute in London for her MA, and later PhD, in Painting Conservation
At the age of 25, she married a graduate student at the London School of Economics. The couple made their home in northern London.
Allison found a job at her alma mater, the Courtauld Institute, in their Wall Conservation department. For her job, she traveled around the world, restoring numerous frescoes, murals, and mosaics in various states of decay and disrepair, including a newly discovered tomb of a Babylonian high priest in Iraq, and the Saint-Chapelle church in Paris. She was respected in her field for her dedication and her professional behavior. Above all, her colleagues recall a complete love of her job, inspiring others in their work and in their attitudes towards life.

Will this be how my life plays out? Who knows? Whatever I do with my life, however, I want to enjoy my job. I don’t see myself changing the world in any major way. If I do something for humanity, I want to inspire at least one person to do something they love, and live the life they want. If that is all I achieve, I can die happy.

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