I had the pleasure of meeting Enid when we served together on the Executive Committee of the Friends of the Smith College Libraries. I remember first meeting her at the Green Street Restaurant in Northampton when she joined the committee; as always, Gene had accompanied her on the trip and was sitting at a table in the other room. After dinner, Enid told me that I must meet Gene, and after conversing for a short time, we all felt like good friends. It turned out that Gene knew a distant cousin of mine from El Paso at Harvard and he remembered visiting my relatives when he was stationed at Ft. Bliss during World War II.

Enid brought such experience and grace to our committee’s deliberations. As a book artist, she taught all of us about her passion, and her work with Martin Antonetti and Karen Kukil of Smith’s Rare Book Room resulted in several exhibits of her work and that of other noted book artists.

In 2004, Enid was bestowed with the Ninth Carl Hertzog Award for Excellence in Book Design from the University of Texas at El Paso Library. Enid called me about two months before the awards ceremony letting me know that she would be having hip surgery at that time. She asked me if I would stand in for her during the ceremony and share some thoughts, to which I quickly agreed. I was so honored to do so. Fortunately, she and Gene were able to come to El Paso two years later to judge the Hertzog Award, and we enjoyed a lovely weekend together.

Several of Enid’s fabulous books are now in the Special Collections Department at the University, and some relatives of mine began to collect her books. So I know that there is a bit of Enid here in El Paso.

What I’ll remember best, however, was her wonderful smile, her glorious eyes, and the generosity of spirit she shared with everyone she met.

Best wishes,

Susan Goodman Novick