Nancy Margaret Rose passed away on June 8, 2023 at her home in Kingston, RI with her wife, Ellen Perkins, her sister-in-law, Mary Ryan, and two dear friends at her side.
Nancy was born on December 5, 1946, in California and spent much of her early years devoted to the arts, especially music and acting. She discovered Montessori in college and the rest is history.
In 1970, she received her AMI Montessori credential in Palo Alto, CA. From the start of her involvement, she advocated for children and for teachers, and was dedicated to supporting children and adults to meet their full potential. She did so with tremendous joy, enthusiasm, energy, a taste for fun, and love. She has, for years, taught us to be inclusive, diverse, and welcoming and accepting of all people, including LGBTQIA+ and those with disabilities.
Nancy served on the AMS board from 1977 – 1981. There she met Douglas Gravel who was serving his second term. She was serving her first. Nancy and Doug were known as the “shakers and rascals” because of their rambunctiousness. Nancy was responsible for adding language to the AMS non-discrimination clause based on sexual orientation. She refused to have her school, New England Early Childhood Associates (NEECA), become a member of any organization that did not provide such protection for employees. Because of Nancy’s insistence, AMS took that initial courageous step so that AMS employees would be protected from discrimination based on sexual orientation. Since then, AMS has expanded its non-discrimination clause.
Along with Carole Wolfe Korngold (1935 – 2019) and Virginia Varga, Nancy served on the TEC committee that wrote the original document that was submitted to create ACCESS, the first accrediting body for Montessori teacher education. They were setting standards for Montessori teacher education centers to be accredited by a federal body, thus enabling students to get federal loans and opening Montessori training to increased diversity.
The opinions expressed in Montessori Life are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the position of AMS.