Editors Remember Eunice V. Fickett, Late Bookkeeper

Eunice V. Fickett, who served as The Crimson's bookkeeper for 15 years, died last Saturday at her Sarasota, Fla., home.

"Her arrival was a great blessing," said Osborne F. Ingram '35. Her predecessors were not completely competent or honest. She straightened the books and kept the undergraduates toeing the line for business."

Nicholas Lemann '76, Crimson president in 1975, said yesterday that Fickett was "very nice" as a person. "It took a while to win her over," he said. "But once you broke through she was really a sweet and goldenhearted person."

Lemann remembered Fickett as the "ideal of the New England schoolmarm" personality, with her "downeast" appearance and voice. Even in the hot summer, Lemann said, she would go into the business office "in her schoolmarm clothes," open the sliding wooden window and "not let anything phase her."

"One day," Lemann recalled, "someone broke the window Miss Fickett just walked into the office and called to get it fixed She was very patient."

Even with annual "personnel changes," Fickett maintained continuity for the paper, Lemann said, adding. "She worked a thankless job, but she did a good job keeping books."

James Cramer '77, Crimson president in 1976, described Fickett as "the ultimate trooper," being "eloquent" and "kinder and wiser than anyone."

"When walking into her office from the newsroom, we had to be gentlemen for 30 seconds in our life."

An avid baseball fan, Fickett went to the Red Sox's spring training in Winterhaven, Fla, every year. Jeremy Halbreich '74, business manager in 1973, said yesterday.

"Miss Fickett was flexible and resilient." Halbreich said "She kept the paper together and represented continuity."