What a lovely tribute this page is to a really neat lady. I spent a lot of time in Moffett's kitchen as a teenager. Being one of Matt's closest friends through high school we often found ourselves in the Hall's Albany apartment after school. I remember Moffett most in her kitchen, near the window. When we came in, a ragamuffin bunch of teenagers, she always wanted to talk to us. She was truly interested in conversing, in learning what was new in our lives and what we thought about different topics. Being typical ornery teenagers we rarely engaged her, but I did talk to her at length about where to go to college, and about what I hoped to study. She encouraged me in the direction of the East Coast women's colleges (which I had forgotten until today was where she went too) and was genuinely thrilled when I chose Sarah Lawrence (Swarthmore being a close second) When she wasn't trying to talk to us, Moffett was usually fretting at us. She worried about everything we did and everywhere we went. While it drove Matt crazy at the time, I understood even then that this was how she showed she cared about us - about ALL of us.
The last time I saw Moffett was about 7 years ago. My son was 2 or 3 at the time and we were walking down Solano Avenue. When Moffett saw us, she absolutely lit up. She wanted to know all about us, how life was now, and how it had been. I was so moved by that encounter, because her care was so genuine. Almost 20 years after I had eaten after-school snacks at her kitchen table, she truly cared about what had become of me, and was truly delighted to meet my son. She gave me the warmest hug. That hug, and that authentic delighted presence are what I will remember most. That, and Moffett standing in the sunlight in her kitchen.