Anne R Umansky

Anne R. Umansky (99 years young) was the daughter of Latvian Jewish immigrants and, like many children in her Williamsburg, Brooklyn neighborhood in the 1920s and ‘30s, spoke Yiddish as her first language. Anne’s father died while she was quite young, and when she was nine, her mother sent her to classes to learn to read and write Yiddish.

Though Anne graduated Salutatorian (ranked second) in her Brooklyn high school graduating class, going to college was not an option and she went to work as a legal secretary to help support her mom.

Anne accelerated in her secretarial roles and in 1957 had the opportunity to work at a prestigious New York law firm, Paul, Weiss, Wharton, Rifkind & Garrison. Amongst their prominent clients were the Broadway and Hollywood elite. Apparently, Anne’s work made an impression for one day the lawyer for whom she was working for asked her if she would be interested in a short-term job as secretary for one of the firm’s clients, “a famous American playwright and his actress wife.” That suited Anne’s adventurous spirit and she immediately said “yes.”

Anne was stunned when the lawyer ultimately revealed that the “famous American playwright” was Arthur Miller and his “actress wife” was Marilyn Monroe.

Anne had an office in their East 57th apartment and she described her daily commute as her first experience in “space travel” -- from working class Flatbush to upper class Sutton Place. Though she was officially employed by Marilyn Monroe Productions, she worked for both of them. Anne had a variety of tasks, including answering fan mail, scheduling, taking Marilyn shopping, running errands, typing dictated letters, and walking their dog, Hugo. (To read about this adventure, view Anne’s recently published essay titled Mrs. Miller and Ms. R By Anne R. Umansky - https://medium.com/@anneumansky/mrs-miller-aka-marilyn-monroe-and-ms-r-06e266cda850).

After her employment with the Millers ended in early 1958, Anne worked as an executive secretary for a lawyer who had recently retired as a member of President Eisenhower’s Cabinet. During that time, she also completed a Master’s degree in English at Hunter College. Anne then became a full-time member of the English Department at John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City where many of the students were policemen and public safety workers.

Before completing her Doctoral dissertation, Anne met the love of her life, Dr. Irving Umansky, who happened to be sitting on the next stool at Howard Johnson’s restaurant in Provincetown, MA, where Anne frequently vacationed. In 1971, Anne left her Ph.D. program, married Dr. Umansky, and moved to Cambridge, MA. Two years later, she became a member of the founding faculty at newly formed Bunker Hill Community College in Charlestown, MA, where she taught until her late 80s.

Anne was a talented teacher who was able to impact so many students. She was a lively participant in memoir writing groups and loved traveling to Provincetown in the summer to attend an annual writer’s workshop with her dear friend Ellen.

Anne found great pleasure in developing new skills and valued lifelong learning. Amongst her retirement pleasures, Anne was an active “Lifestyle Leader” at MIT’s Age Lab, where she engaged with researchers in their mission to find practical solutions to the daily challenges faced by older adults.

Shortly before Anne became ill, she was invited to speak at a TED event, which is one of the world's most trailblazing intellectual platforms dedicated to discovering and spreading ideas that spark conversation, deepen understanding and drive meaningful change. Anne was asked to give a TED Talk to share her advice on womanhood and aging. Her job title listed in the speaker list: Local Legend!

Anne was a passionate supporter of several organizations, including the Yiddish Book Center, B’nai B’rith, Haddasah, American Friends of Hebrew University, Boston Children’s Hospital, Doctors Without Borders, Planned Parenthood, and the Southern Poverty Law Center.