Casey, 1977, watercolor

Casey's portrait of me, 1977

A pensive moment

Condolences to all friends and family mourning the loss of Casey FitzSimons. As the beautiful obituary said, Casey was Vice President of Editorial and Production at Key Curriculum Press, a mathematics publisher. I met Casey indirectly when I submitted my hands-on math kit for teachers to Key Curriculum Press. For about a year, I enquired by phone and email, usually through her assistants, who kept saying the editor was busy and had not reviewed my math kit yet. Month by month, the decision was postponed. Eventually her assistant conveyed the editor’s verdict: the production values were good, but the math kit was not the kind of thing the company would publish. I was frustrated after such a long series of postponements, but I kept that to myself. We met years later through Waverley Writers at our monthly poetry readings. One evening, I was contemplating the purchase of a visiting poet's book, worried about the high cost but also aware that the book was available only that night. Casey overheard me and volunteered $5 to help me buy the book. In that moment, I learned that one small act of kindness can erase bad feelings from another, completely separate, situation. I was very thankful, and still remember Casey as a generous person, as well as a good poet.