Joyce passed on but left a legion of memories for her work and loving presence among us.
This article appeared in the Hartford Courant on August 17, 2014 celebrating Joyce's extraordinary life in service to her family, her community and the environment.
Joyce Kathan, a longtime resident of Prospect, was a leader in the senior… (Courtesy of Nancy Lee Kathan )
Joyce
Kathan was a leader in the senior center movement in Connecticut,
lobbied for seniors at the Capitol, was a pioneer in seeking greater
options for women and worked hard to preserve the environment. Above
all, she sought to get others involved in causes they believed in.
She received numerous awards for her work, including one from the United Nations Association of the United States of America for her efforts toward women's equality.
She received numerous awards for her work, including one from the United Nations Association of the United States of America for her efforts toward women's equality.
Kathan, 82, a resident of Prospect, died of kidney failure on June 18.
Joyce Marie Clark, the daughter of Herbert and Mabel Clark, was born on Oct. 28, 1931. She grew up in Middletown, where as a teenager she played the organ at the local Methodist church.
She was still in high school and the leader of a church youth group when Boardman Kathan, a young Wesleyan student, began attending the group's meetings.
Joyce graduated from high school and started college, intending to become a teacher, but volunteer work at the Wheeler Clinic
in Hartford changed her mind, and she decided to work with older
people. Her experience taking care of two grandmothers also helped
confirm her career choice.
By 1951, her friendship with Kathan had grown enough that they became engaged. By that time, he was attending Yale Divinity School and about to go to the Netherlands on a Fulbright Scholarship for a year, but Joyce still had not finished college. They didn't want to postpone their marriage, and her father agreed that college could wait.
So, they were married in 1952, and four days later they sailed for Europe.
During their time in Leiden, Joyce learned Dutch while her husband studied 17th century Dutch religious history.
After their return, Boardman Kathan, known as Barney, finished divinity school and was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ. He served with several churches in the Midwest, where Joyce undertook the role of the minister's wife and raised their three children. He later worked for the UCC state conference in Boston, and then for an interfaith organization in New York before returning to Connecticut in 1973.
Joyce went back to college, and graduated with a degree in social work from Southern Connecticut State College in 1976. She became director of the Woodbury Senior Center in 1976, where she developed many innovative programs.
The Kathans also were among the founders of the Connecticut Association of Senior Center Personnel.
"She was one of the leaders in the senior center field," John Hogarth, the former director of the Meriden Senior Center said of Joyce Kathan. "She was a pretty selfless person. She was very committed to advocacy for seniors."
Joyce Kathan suffered significant hearing loss for many years, and she developed an award-winning program to teach senior citizens to read lips. For years, she lobbied the town of Woodbury to provide a new facility for the senior center — a goal that wasn't achieved until after she retired in 1997.
Joyce also was involved for many years with the League of Women Voters; she was president of the Cheshire chapter and served on the state board. She was an active member of the American Association of University Women, and served on many levels, including chapter president and state vice president, and as a member of the national legislative committee.
Joyce Marie Clark, the daughter of Herbert and Mabel Clark, was born on Oct. 28, 1931. She grew up in Middletown, where as a teenager she played the organ at the local Methodist church.
She was still in high school and the leader of a church youth group when Boardman Kathan, a young Wesleyan student, began attending the group's meetings.
By 1951, her friendship with Kathan had grown enough that they became engaged. By that time, he was attending Yale Divinity School and about to go to the Netherlands on a Fulbright Scholarship for a year, but Joyce still had not finished college. They didn't want to postpone their marriage, and her father agreed that college could wait.
So, they were married in 1952, and four days later they sailed for Europe.
During their time in Leiden, Joyce learned Dutch while her husband studied 17th century Dutch religious history.
After their return, Boardman Kathan, known as Barney, finished divinity school and was ordained as a minister in the United Church of Christ. He served with several churches in the Midwest, where Joyce undertook the role of the minister's wife and raised their three children. He later worked for the UCC state conference in Boston, and then for an interfaith organization in New York before returning to Connecticut in 1973.
Joyce went back to college, and graduated with a degree in social work from Southern Connecticut State College in 1976. She became director of the Woodbury Senior Center in 1976, where she developed many innovative programs.
The Kathans also were among the founders of the Connecticut Association of Senior Center Personnel.
"She was one of the leaders in the senior center field," John Hogarth, the former director of the Meriden Senior Center said of Joyce Kathan. "She was a pretty selfless person. She was very committed to advocacy for seniors."
Joyce Kathan suffered significant hearing loss for many years, and she developed an award-winning program to teach senior citizens to read lips. For years, she lobbied the town of Woodbury to provide a new facility for the senior center — a goal that wasn't achieved until after she retired in 1997.
Joyce also was involved for many years with the League of Women Voters; she was president of the Cheshire chapter and served on the state board. She was an active member of the American Association of University Women, and served on many levels, including chapter president and state vice president, and as a member of the national legislative committee.
She
persuaded the national AAUW to set environmental priorities, and
organized a network of people around the country to work on
environmental issues. In 1983, she was sent to the Netherlands to lead a
seminar on the environment.
She also helped lobby at the state and federal level for equal pay for women, and for reproductive rights. She deplored the lack of women in the sciences, and, together with a friend, developed Brighten Your Future, an AAUW project that sent girls to college for a week in the summer to study math and science.
Kathan became active in the Coalition on Aging, a non-profit group that advocates for increased programs and services for older people. She published their newsletter, set up an annual program, and organized the Capitol Corps — older people who would go to the state Capitol every week to visit lawmakers and attend committee meetings. She also was a national coordinator in the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.
As part of her environmental activism, she wrote "A Citizen's Guide to Environmental Action," contributed a chapter on the role of citizens and private organizations in combating health hazards to "Management of Hazardous Agents," and also wrote the first recycling handbook for the town of Cheshire. She also served on the state environmental committee of the United Church of Christ.
"She was a wonderful example of a dedicated community volunteer you could count on to do a good job," said Helen Raisz, an AAUW friend.
Kathan liked to see her ideas turn into action. "She was always a leader, always upfront," said her husband. "She took no back bench."
She also helped lobby at the state and federal level for equal pay for women, and for reproductive rights. She deplored the lack of women in the sciences, and, together with a friend, developed Brighten Your Future, an AAUW project that sent girls to college for a week in the summer to study math and science.
Kathan became active in the Coalition on Aging, a non-profit group that advocates for increased programs and services for older people. She published their newsletter, set up an annual program, and organized the Capitol Corps — older people who would go to the state Capitol every week to visit lawmakers and attend committee meetings. She also was a national coordinator in the effort to ratify the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution.
As part of her environmental activism, she wrote "A Citizen's Guide to Environmental Action," contributed a chapter on the role of citizens and private organizations in combating health hazards to "Management of Hazardous Agents," and also wrote the first recycling handbook for the town of Cheshire. She also served on the state environmental committee of the United Church of Christ.
"She was a wonderful example of a dedicated community volunteer you could count on to do a good job," said Helen Raisz, an AAUW friend.
Kathan liked to see her ideas turn into action. "She was always a leader, always upfront," said her husband. "She took no back bench."
Joyce Kathan Memorial Slide Show from David Kathan on Vimeo.
Joyce Kathan Slide Show
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