From Paris to Berkeley: A 99-Year-Old Scholar’s Joyful Ride Through Life

Madeleine, full of wit and humor, has led a life shaped by passions for music, language, and literature. Born in Kansas City, she earned an honors degree in international relations at Northwestern and studied piano in Paris before teaching French poetry at the University of California, Berkeley. Though she reflects on the loneliness of outliving her friends, she embraces life with laughter.