Babysitter: A Gift of Remembrance

by Deanna Milton Charves
(Marlborough, MA)

When I was 11 years old and living on Handy Court in Burlington, VT, my best friend and neighbor, Alison Wheeler Pooley, died of leukemia. She had attended the now closed Taft Elementary School. In her memory her classmates took up a collection and sent it to Norman Rockwell, seeking something that would be a tribute to Alison. In response Norman Rockwell gave this painting to the sixth grade class.

I hope it is still true that the painting now resides at the Fleming Museum.

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