GAY MATTHAEI

MATTHAEI--Gay Humphrey, Russian scholar, award winning author, independent film producer and interior designer, beloved wife of Konrad, twin sister of Jewel, mother of Marcella, Leslie and Konrad, grandmother of Konrad, Spencer and Sophie, passed away in her sleep on January 1, 2010. A Phi Beta Kappa, magna cum laude graduate of Mt. Holyoke College; she received her Masters Degree from Columbia University School of International Affairs, Russian Institute. Gay was one of the first four American students invited to visit the Soviet Union in 1954 by the undersecretary to Stalin, Nikita Kruschev. CBS and NBC equipped her with camera and film for this first peek behind the iron curtain. Her film was shown on NBC prime time and she lectured extensively throughout the country on her experiences in Russia. Gay co-authored, with her sister Jewel, three books about the coming of age of young Lakota Sioux in the 19th Century including the prize winning Ledgerbook of Thomas Blue Eagle and its accompanying award winning CD-ROM. Gay also produced and directed the educational film Where Time is a River, which won First Prize at the first Women's Film Festival and was subsequently acquired by the Museum of Modern Art Archive of Films. As President of Gay Matthaei Interiors, she specialized in residential and commercial interiors and historic restorations. She was a member of the Governor's Commission to Restore the State Capitol in Hartford. She also served as a Trustee of Mount Holyoke College for ten years, as a founder of the Addie Mae Collins Storefront School and as a Director of Young Audiences, Inc. Her literary awards include the International Reading Association Award, and Christopher Medal; her CD-ROM won the Emma Award, Best Visuals Educational Europe 1995; Intermedia Asia Best CD-ROM Title, 1995; Best CD-ROM Elementary School, Edinburgh Festival and the FNAC Prix. A celebration of Gay's life will be held at First Church of Round Hill, Greenwich, CT on Saturday, February 6th at 11am. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Annual Fund of Mt. Holyoke College in memory of Gay Humphrey Matthaei, Class of '52. Mail to: The Annual Fund, Mount Holyoke College, Mary Wooley Hall, South Hadley, MA 01075 or to St. Joseph's Indian School, Chamberlain, SD 57326.