Obituary: Janice Calkin

janice-calkin-fi
Janice Calkin

Janice Spencer Calkin of Cos Cob, CT died peacefully Tuesday, Oct. 1, 2019 at the age of 89 at Greenwich Woods where she was a resident.

Born in Syracuse, NY on May 14, 1930, Ms. Calkin was the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Frank G. Calkin. Her father graduated from Tufts University in 1923 with a BA in Chemical Engineering. He was awarded membership in Tau Beta Pi, one of the oldest and prestigious honor societies in the US.

Ms. Calkin also attended Tufts University where she majored in French and Spanish and graduated, magna cum laude, in 1951. Following graduation she studied French at the Sorbonne in Paris. This was followed by graduate school at Harvard where she received her Master’s degree in teaching French and Spanish.

After a year teaching at the Brewster Academy in Wolfeboro, NH, she joined the Greenwich Public School System where she taught French, Spanish and Modern Dance for many years. During this time she developed a foreign language program for Greenwich Elementary Schools, served as Coordinator of Foreign Languages for the Greenwich Public School System, and was awarded a Fulbright Scholarship to study Spanish in Colombia, SA.

In 1984, she became the Director of Greenwich Adult and Continuing Education where she created and developed many enrichment courses for adults in the community who were interested in learning a variety of things, such as learning to play bridge, keeping up with computer skills, or mastering the arts of painting and photography. Her catalogues every year stimulated adults to want to learn.

In this role, she also administered CT state mandated programs directed at helping people acquire a GED (High School Equivalency Diploma), learn English as a Second Language, and even learn how to read at a Basic level. After many years in this position, she retired in 2005.

Ms. Calkin was predeceased by her parents and her brother, Parker Spencer Calkin, Ph.D., who was famous for his work in Antarctica and had a glacier named after him. She is survived by her sister-in-law and her longtime partner, George Shaddock.

In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the animal care foundation she created, janicespencercalkin.org. A memorial service will be held at Round Hill Community Church on Oct. 17 at 2 p.m. All are welcome.

Related Posts
Loading...