Westward. Encounters with Swiss American Women

… and in Montreux. (1955)

But stop! “I almost forgot to mention a very important episode in my life: In 1958 I passed my summer vacation with my parents in Riffelalp in Wallis. There I climbed the Matterhorn. This was not such a great physical accomplishment, as the weather was ideal, I had a good guide, and had no fear of heights. But to stand on top of the world, on a narrow pathway of snow looking down to Italy on one side and Switzerland on the other was a thrilling experience that I shall never forget.”

“I will never forget July 28, 1958. Together with a guide I climbed the Matterhorn.”

And then Margot adds, “on my gravestone, I should like to have three things written: First, ‘she once viewed the world from the top of the Matterhorn; secondly, at the age of eighty, she learned to use the computer; and thirdly, she overcame her shyness and learned to share the personality of her father with the public.’” And then she changes her mind and says, “but I am not going to have a gravestone. When I die, I shall go back to my Alma mater, New York Medical College. In dissecting my shell, some medical students will be able to spend a year learning their anatomy. I have specified this in my will and I find comfort in thinking that the full course of my life will come to a close in this final way.”