Peter J. Piveronus
Adjunct Professor, History
Her name was Nicole. For purposes of privacy, as required, her full name has been omitted. She was born in Grand Ledge, Michigan in 1973 and attended Grand Ledge High School, graduating in 1990. Following her graduation, she briefly attended LCC in 1991 and enrolled as a student in my HIST 105-World Affairs class in the spring of 1992. Although she ceased attending LCC in the summer of 1994, she and I would remain in touch with each other on and off for several years following her departure from Lansing.
From Lansing, as I was to learn later, Nicole relocated to New York City where she enrolled at New York University. At NYU, she became acquainted with Stephen Cohen, a Professor Emeritus at both NYU and Princeton University. His expertise is modern Russian and Soviet history and politics. As a specialist in Russia myself, I have communicated with Professor Cohen from time to time and listen faithfully to the John Batchelor weekly radio broadcast where he is the featured guest speaker. Like myself, Nicole lauded Professor Cohen due to his firm grasp of Russian politics and would write admiringly about him in her letters to me.
Nicole’s departure from Lansing to New York City, eventually took her to Ithaca, New York. While there, she enrolled as a graduate student at Cornell University where she would her earn Ph.D. in early 2012. At Cornell, Nicole became a Peace Corps volunteer. As such, she was sent to Benin, a very poor country in west Africa where she spent her time working with small business development.
Returning to Cornell, in November 2005, Nicole, along with other returning Peace Corps volunteers (RPCVs), at an informal group session, shared her experiences in Africa with potential Peace Corps volunteers. Nicole spoke about the living and working conditions she found in Benin: “I didn’t have running water, electricity; I did have a well…working on developing credit unions within the area was my primary job… [but I spent time teaching villagers to] read, write and [do] basic accounting skills.” Nicole revealed that “she became very close to her nearest neighbors and regarded them as family. Her ‘little sister’s’ water broke inside Nicole’s house, and she helped deliver the baby.” All of the RPCVs, including Nicole, were very enthusiastic about their time spent overseas. To Nicole, “coming back [to the States] was the most difficult part.”
At this juncture in her life, Nicole’s connection with her work for the US government becomes somewhat clouded. Apparently, she would remain in the Peace Corps, although I am not certain about this. Sadly, my subsequent contact with Nicole came via the obituary page in the Lansing State Journal. On July 12, 2012, Nicole died. In part, her obituary read: “She loved her work in the Peace Corps where she served in Africa and all over the world. With her travels and experiences, she made many friends…”
Her funeral took place on July 18, 2012 at St. Mary Cathedral in Lansing where both of us, I was to learn, are parishioners. At one time, most likely I presume, before she left Lansing for New York City, Nicole served, as did my wife and I, as a volunteer at Mother Theresa House, a hospice affiliated with St. Mary Cathedral. She also served, as I do, as a Eucharistic minister. By coincidence, my final glimpse of Nicole took place as she was distributing communion at the 8 AM mass one morning. As I was about to receive communion, we briefly exchanged glances. I also noticed that she had dyed her hair blond.
I was unable to pinpoint the exact circumstances surrounding her premature death. When I made inquiries, I was told that, presumably, while in Africa, Nicole was involved in a serious accident of some kind and was critically injured. Subsequently, as I was made to understand, she was hurriedly discharged from the Peace Corps and transported back to Lansing where she passed away as the result of the critical injury she sustained. She was only 39 years of age, leaving behind, besides her parents, an older sister who lives in Chicago.
I was attending the Wednesday, 8 AM mass at St. Mary on the day of her funeral. I was so shaken by her death that I could not bring myself to view Nicole’s casket-enclosed body nor offer my condolences to her grieving parents as perhaps I should have done. I often pray for her before the start of the Wednesday 8 AM mass where I serve as a reader.
Nicole’s short but beautiful life was full of adventure and accomplishment. Earning a Ph.D. as she was able to do from a prestigious Ivy League university is certainly no mean accomplishment by anyone’s standard. As my student, Nicole was an extremely bright, precocious young woman, perhaps too much so, as matters would turn out. As I remember her, she was a person with an intense curiosity which may have had something to do with the circumstances surrounding her death. I know not and I certainly hope not given the government’s all too often tendency to conceal the truth.
In my morning prayers before mass, I make it a point to always include Nicole alongside my loved ones. Hopefully, Nicole and I will someday meet again, this time in Heaven, provided, of course, that I get there.
