FAREWELL, DEAR MOIRA!
A little after a month past her 100th birthday, OL Dr Moira Breen Ph.D passed away on January 26, 2024 at Libertyville, Illinois, a short distance away from the hustle and bustle of Chicago and very far away from Madras (present day Chennai), India, where she was born on December 18, 1923.
I offer this tribute to dear Moira on behalf of Old Lawrencians from Lovedale cutting across many generations from all over the world. At the time of her passing, she was most likely the oldest living OL in the world!
Moira, I understand, is a girl's name of Greek and Irish origin. In Greek, it translates to "destiny," "share," or "fate". It is said that when babies were named "Moira " they were encouraged to believe that their future was in their own hands. Dr Breen, in that sense, was most appropriately named. She was a totally self made person . Her many accomplishments are all the more remarkable considering her humble beginnings. She was dogged by many difficulties starting with her father abandoning his family when his children were quite young.
In the 1930s, the pupils of the Lawrence Memorial Royal Military School , Lovedale , were not quite associated with higher studies. Many of them joined the military service in the UK or took up Govt service in India in the Railways, Customs and other Government departments. In this milieu, Dr Moira Breen's academic and scholarly research reflected in many published papers stand out in testimony to her hard work, diligence and ability to overcome challenges that came her way. "My old school in India gave me the backbone to live up to its motto "Never Give In" she wrote, summing up her life succinctly.
Family circumstances sent Moira and her younger brother to Lovedale in February 1932. Lovedale was home for her for most of the year, till she completed her Senior Cambridge examination with a first class. She then went to Queen Mary's College in Madras ( present day Chennai) to complete her Bachelor of Science degree- once again in the first class. Five years in the Christian Medical College , Vellore and the Women's Christian College, Chennai as a teaching laboratory assistant fuelled in her the passion to study more. Appreciating her mettle, her Professors recommended her for a Master's program where she could study and do research at Vassar, Poughkeepsie N.Y. It was only the second institution to grant degrees to women in higher education in the United States.
As a 25 year old Anglo -Indian lady, who had never set foot outside the Madras Presidency before, she travelled from Ceylon ( now Sri Lanka) in a Dutch freighter heading to the United States. After a successful stint at Vassar, she did her doctorate in Biochemistry from Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago, Illinois in 1960. Subsequently, she became a Senior Medical Research Scientist with The Federal Government of the USA in which capacity she worked till she retired in 1988.
She loved art and even at a fairly advanced age showed a proficiency that belied her years. Apparently, she also drove a car till into her 90s! She was known to be genial, helpful and a respected member of whichever community she lived in. She loved dogs and took in many over the years, her favourite being a Sheltie .
Sadly ,from childhood, Moira was afflicted with a facial deformity which she took in her stride with her customary courage. She wrote, " I am glad you liked the photo of myself. I owe a lot to my 3 "facial and reconstructive surgeons" - one in India and two in the US - who over the years have performed a total of 22 surgical procedures on my face making me more socially presentable."
Some of us like Joseph Thomas, (ARA 1957), Yohaan John (VIN 1991) and I, Prem Rao ( NIL 1967) corresponded with Moira and spoke to her once in a while but we never actually met her. I remember her kindness in readily sharing her memories for " "Glimpses ..."
Remember, we spoke of destiny earlier? Here's how Dr Breen happened to meet Rahel Abraham (DEO 1994). Moira wrote, " It was a lovely Fall day, sunny and cool and Rahel was sitting outside a bakery shop with her two children and a big black Labrador dog. I noticed the dog and stopped to talk to her on my way in to the bakery store. When I came out with a big grocery bag filled with 3 coffee cakes ( I was taking them to a party) she very kindly offered to help me. My car was packed in the parking lot in the next block. So Rahel, her two young girls and the black dog accompanied me to my car. On the way we introduced ourselves and she told me she was from Kerala. The following Sunday she visited me with her two girls and her black dog. The following week she invited me for dinner at her house where I met her husband and other members of her family. "
She was delighted to have met another OL who left Lovedale 55 years after she did! To add one more co-incidence to the story, it turned out that Moira knew one of Rahel's relatives Dr Liza Chacko at CMC Vellore from many decades ago!!
Starting from where she did and going through so much in her long life, for me, Dr Moira Breen was "Never Give In" personified. Her life reminds me of the old saying, " Count your age by friends, not years. Count your life by smiles, not tears!"
May her soul rest in peace!
Ed Note: Special thanks to JT, Yohaan, and Rahel for kindly sharing material and pictures for this post.
