She Owned the Gallery

Mimosas for Memories and perhaps this foundation might not exist if not for Peggy. The idea for Mimosas for Memories came to me in 2015 during medical school and relied on finding someone who was willing to host an event run by a student with a plan but very little money or support to start with. I must have called a dozen venues and left messages at a dozen more. Just as I was making plans to push it out another year, I have a distinct memory of coming up MLK in Cincinnati in front of the college of medicine and listening to a message from Peggy at The Greenwich House Gallery. She was ecstatic and ready to help, offering up her art gallery to host whatever kind of event we could put together. Her life had been touched by Alzheimer’s and her passion for community was clear. 

  

From our first meeting I knew she was going to be a blast to work with. I’d arrive at the gallery sometimes day after day planning and deciding how we’d run the event. Each time I came through the gallery door she peered up over her glasses from behind her desk and greeted me with a half smile, immediately launching into whatever she had to share. She was excited to help and even more thrilled when the day came that the gallery was full of conversation and passion when we hosted our first event. 

  

I just listened back to the only voicemail I have left from our years working together. It was about the details of table cloth size and color. No surprise she was always one step ahead and thinking about every little detail. I can remember the morning of our second year of Mimosas for Memories coming into the gallery hours before the event was set to begin and there she sat, behind the desk hundreds of fresh flowers strewn about and a pair of scissors in her hands. By the time we began that day each table had a flower arrangement. She was all-in and and her excitement made me believe we could actually make something happen. 

  

Three years (2016, 2017 and 2018) she helped host our event. Sadly in 2019 she passed away even as we hosted Mimosas at the gallery one last time before we outgrew the space – which she would have been thrilled with. Peggy is the reason we had a place for our first event and a reminder that when you believe in someone else you might just start something amazing.