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Her Stories

In Nancy's own words — answering questions about her life, her loves, and the experiences that shaped her

Story One

Family Vacations

From Salem to Louisville, the 1939 World's Fair, Chicago's Edgewater Beach Hotel, Virginia Beach's Cavalier Hotel, and the epic 1946 California road trip through Colorado, San Francisco, and Yosemite.

Story Two

Education

Growing up in Salem, attending Marymount and Northwestern University, studying under Professor Bergen Evans, and graduating as part of the Class of 1952.

Story Three

First Job

New York City in 1952 — the Barbizon Hotel for Women, working at Prentice-Hall publishers, and navigating life as a young woman in the big city.

Story Four

Family Ancestry

The Irish Kirleys and Hollands, the German Probsts and Garths, Louisville roots, and the family stories passed down through generations — including Aunt Lib seeing Anna Pavlova dance.

Story Five

Favorite Museums

A museum lover's tribute — The Met, The Frick, the Art Institute of Chicago, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and "all the big ones" in Europe. "You could visit each one every Saturday for a year and just begin to have an idea of their riches."

Story Six

Favorite Painting

After a lifetime of looking at art, Nancy chose Rembrandt's Polish Rider at the Frick — "one of the great poems of the world," mysterious, powerful, and always worth returning to.

Story Seven

Meeting Grandfather

A rainy afternoon in Salem, Ohio. Sis Mullins thought they'd make a good couple. By New Year's 1955 they were together, by July they were married. "The rest is history."

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