"A tireless advocate for human rights, both locally, nationally, & globally" -Robin H

Congratulations Vanessa!

You’ve been a shining star in all aspects of your life. Your brilliance, keen instincts, honesty, and ability to articulate the critical points in every discussion have been a source of inspiration to me. Your ability to lighten your passion with your incisive sense of humor has made virtually every encounter with you a memorable one.

I wrote the following as if I were reading it at a retirement party:

I had the privilege of first meeting Vanessa in the early 1980s when she was a faculty member at the Queens College Law school. She brought her students to a class in occupational medicine that I was attending as an Occupational Medicine resident at Mount Sinai. I was immediately impressed by her broad vision of what being a lawyer meant and her understanding of why law students should be knowledgeable about occupational medicine, disability and workers compensation in order to be effective advocates. The law school had a legal clinic which helped workers, which I think was quite unusual at that time.

Later, in the 1990s, I reconnected with Vanessa when I moved to Hastings-on-Hudson. Soon after arriving, I became involved with a group that became Hastings Waterfront Watch. We were a grass-roots organization focused on getting the Hastings waterfront cleaned up. Vanessa was a leader in the group and rapidly became a mentor, friend and trusted advisor in all matters political in Hastings. She had a deep understanding of Hastings politics, having grown up here, and was exceedingly generous in sharing her knowledge.

Our friendship also grew because our children were of similar ages. We shared experiences as parents and, as always, Vanessa’s trademark wry humor often came through when discussing parenting in Hastings. Although perhaps I shouldn’t say this, I’ll never forget sitting next to Vanessa at a Middle School Concert during a portion that was particularly hard to listen to. She whispered: have you ever heard the saying “tuned to the sound of wolves?”. She’d hit the nail on the head, & as always, wasn’t afraid of candor. Fortunately, our sons weren’t in the group that was having difficulties! But, despite the jokes, Vanessa’s commitment to her children, through thick and thin, never wavered. Her deep love for her children, and entire family, was a constant force. Like many of us, she wrestled with the challenges of balancing family life with being passionate about both her work & the never ending fight for social justice. I think her children, who are wonderful, are a testament to her success.

In the 1990s, when we opened an Occupational Medicine Clinic in Westchester, Vanessa became a member of the Advisory Board. She was a fierce advocate for the clinics, and for Worker Health & Safety. We could count on her racing into the meetings, always a little late, but always completely present & focused once there. She helped us with legislative lobbying, processing difficult policy questions, and raising our awareness of national issues of concern to Worker Safety and Health.

In 2012, Vanessa persuaded me to become a Hastings Democratic District Leader. I was lucky to be able to work with her again and to once more watch her unwavering commitment to progressive politics and activism at the local level.

Although I’m less familiar with Vanessa’s career as a law professor, I’ve been well aware of her work for immigrant rights through Pace. As with everything else she’s undertaken, her work in that arena has been unceasingly effective and inspirational.

Vanessa, thank you for everything you've done for the Hastings community and the world at large. I’ll never forget sitting on my front stoop one night at 2:00 AM, trying to calm down after a long night of work. You showed up, asking me to sign a Democratic nominating petition on your way home from Pace! It was another example of your tireless work and your ability to push through exhaustion and overwork to make a difference in all aspects of life. It was quintessential you, Vanessa.

Congratulations on a brilliant career coupled with being a wonderful friend to so many and a tireless advocate for human rights, both locally, nationally, & globally. Thank you for your friendship.

With much love and admiration,
Robin H