April Keyes Robb

To the family of April Robb:
I am sorry to hear about April´s passing. Although we have never met and you likely never have heard of April speak of me, I wanted to let you know April was a special person and dear friend to me, someone for whom I am so grateful that on our journey through life, our paths crossed. I write this as I fly to Philadelphia; a city I think which April flew to many times while she was a student at Bryn Mawr.
In the spring of 1987, a group of 6 visiting students to Harvard somehow found each other. I can´t really remember the first time we met, but I vaguely remember walking to an orientation up steps to a building called Dudley Hall. Our group included Ayano, Padma, Hide, Stephanie, April, and me. Our fondness for each other was immediate and we formed a bond organically. We spent a lot of time together and as a group we were inseparable. I will always think of April with a book bag slung across her shoulder, never a backpack, wearing military boots and a long skirt, sometimes with a scarf, and always understated and modest, a deep thinker and an old soul. I remember she was always cold too. Her big round eyes staring at whoever was lucky enough to command her focus. April was one of the best listeners I know, she had the gift of making you feel you were interesting, you were important, and that you mattered.
I last remember walking with April on Commonwealth Avenue, as she showed me the place where she was working, for a non-profit organization. I don´t remember when that was or what we talked about, but I just remember that day and the sun was shining down on April like a spotlight. Her hair was glowing, she was almost like an angel and otherworldly. I know she would scoff at me saying this and we would laugh so much. I am so saddened that I will never be able to tell April how much her friendship means to me. There were no cell phones, no email, no internet when we met. April was truly part of the glue that kept us together. I don´t know if April spoke about us much, or at all. I do know that as we lose loved ones, we try to piece together their lives and often wonder about photos we come across. If you see a group that seems to be in Cambridge or Boston, around 1987 or 1988 with 2 Asian men (Hide or Michael), an Asian woman (Ayano), an Indian woman (Padma), or a blond Caucasian woman (Steph), you will know it is our group, and boy did we have fun!
It is through hearing about April´s passing that several of us have reconnected. Many of us lost touch with each other for almost 40 years, but have often thought of each other during this time and when we get together it is as if no time has passed. I cherish the time we had together, to be part of something so magical and special in life. I´m grateful that my journey in life allowed me to cross paths with April. Everyone in our small group, individually and collectively, misses April dearly. I wish we could laugh with April one more time, and am so sorry for your loss. Although April won´t be with us physically, she will never be absent and will continue to be a presence whenever any of us meet. Michael Jeng

1988 Harvard friends