You are my Godmother and you was the best.. I still cry just thinking about you. I thank you for always loving me and being in my corner threw everything. You was more than a godmother, when my ardie past you became my grandmother. Love u and miss you so much..💔💜

Alice Rivlin...what a terrific roll model for us all.  Her energy early in the morning with her trainer Phil Bergman on the streets of Forest Hills to her incredible inner actions with the most important people
in our country including the Presidents.  Alice we miss you and sure still need your response to what is happening today.

I miss Alice more than ever in this time of existential threat to our most basic democratic institutions.  Alice was a national treasure who always spoke the truth and always stood up for what made this country great.  She understood that it was flawed even in its conception and that for all of us that care deeply about our democratic experiment our challenge and our commitment had to be to continue to work toward a more perfect union.

Alice, your voice and your legacy is as important today as it was throughout the time that you were with us.

My deepest condolences to the Rivlin family.

I only knew Dr. Alice Rivlin  in passing, but she was always kind and encouraging.  Her brilliance  was matched by her compassion. 
With great respect and love to Dr. Rivlin,  I have been translating her book; Systematic Thinking for Social Action into Japanese for the past few weeks.  I believe the book will be a classic for policy researchers  in Japan, just as it is in the U.S., and it will contribute to the progress of Japanese policy analysis.     
 Dr. Makiko Ueno                                                                                      

My deepest condolences to Alice's family and other friends. I am sorry I cannot attend, but I wanted to share this memory: 

In addition to the gift of her immense talent and wisdom that guides all of us, Alice created an extraordinary legacy of mentorship. She was always available to mentor and offer advice if asked.  And it was always on target, combining empathy and candor. A few years ago she asked how my job starting up a government agency was going. I told her "It's the best and most frustrating job I've ever had," to which she replied, "all the good jobs are frustrating." 

To the Rivlin Family, I am deeply saddened to learn of the passing of your wife and mother on yesterday. Mrs. Rivlin was my sister, Evelyn Taylor's, supervisor for a few years at Brookings. Evelyn thought very highly of and loved her dearly. Mrs. Rivlin was very gracious, generous, and kind to Evelyn upon learning of her sickness after her retirement. I would like to say that Mrs. Rivlin was an absolutely brilliant and trailblazing woman who all can be proud of and wish to emulate. She is a cherished ruby that yet sparkles and glows even in death. May God bless and keep your family in perfect loving peace during your time of bereavement. The Taylor-Pinkney family's thoughts and prayers are with you all. Peggy Taylor Pinkney

I am deeply saddened to hear that she is no longer with us. I always wanted to meet her in person, and have her sign the book she so lovingly contributed to on Social Action, i first came to know about Alice Rivlin through a recent podcast, I was drawn to her care and breadth of understanding for public policy, she is brilliant i said as the podcast ended. She inspired me so much i went and purchased her book on  Systemic Thinking for Social Action, i found the same pleasant simplicity in her writing as i did in her podcast interview she had a way with taking complex issues and simplifying it and making it understandable.  
My sincere  condolences to her family. You will be missed by all near and far including me. I bow my head in respect and  honor your work and journey and how you inspired all of us to be just like you.

Your Humble student,
Anjiline

As I've read all that has been written about Alice since her passing, I've noticed a common theme:  everyone lucky enough to have known Alice feels like they were close, if not best friends.  It doesn't  surprise me in the least.  After all, Alice lived her life embodying the virtues that every best friend should possess. 

She was loyal, kind, honest, dependable, understanding, firm when necessary, loving, patient, accepting, non-judgmental, and trustworthy--WITH EVERYONE :-)  Regardless of whether she was sitting in the Oval Office offering advice to the President of the United States or on Connecticut Ave. getting to know the man selling flowers, she was "just" Alice--nothing more, nothing less.  And just being Alice was extraordinary.

To Alice's family:  If my four-year-old daughter turns out to be half the friend, diplomat, intellectual, and/or pioneer that Alice was, I will be a very proud father.  Her biography--when, not if published--will instantly become a bedtime story :-)  I cannot imagine a better role model for anyone young or old, nor can I imagine an America without her influence.

Here's to a true best friend.

David



In celebration of an extraordinary life.  To my role model, mentor and friend.  For everything you have done for so many,

Sue Perles, DPhil
Junior Budget Analyst, CBO 1975/6

The Daily Caller published my tribute to Alice ("What I Learned From Alice Rivlin") yesterday.  You can find it here: https://dailycaller.com/2019/05/15/james-carter-alice-rivlin/

A lot is being written about Alice right now but I wanted to share a side of Alice I am not sure others knew about.  Even as she is receiving tributes from Presidents and world leaders, she is also being mourned by the most humble among us.

I met Alice about six years ago through an African gentleman who sold flowers across the street from my office.  On the weekends he sold flowers on Connecticut Avenue near Alice’s home. Over time he and Alice became friends.  One day he showed up at my office with a check from Alice – she had given him a significant amount of money so he could purchase hearing aids.  For years after, Alice and I and a third friend collaborated to help this man bring his family from Africa to the U.S., sponsoring their green cards, paying legal fees and helping them find and pay for their first apartment.  I would not have had the courage to also step in had I not seen Alice take the first step.  

Today this family is reunited and on their way to citizenship.  The father who sold flowers on a street corner now has a part time job at a grocery store.  His wife and three children have emigrated to the U.S. and are employed full time.  Last month, his son got a driver’s license – another step to improving their lives.  None of this would have happened without Alice’s huge heart and her willingness to get involved personally to make a difference in someone’s life.  

Yesterday when I told the Gbao family of her passing, their grief for the woman they knew as “Mama Alice” was genuine and great.  Alice not only shared her resources but also her time and her friendship with them.  Her impact will be felt by this family for generations.  They are forever part of her legacy and she will be greatly missed.


I worked with Alice at the Brookings Institution briefly and have very fond memories of her. I experienced her as tenacious but not too tough; devoted but not dogmatic. No matter where I went in Washington, she was there! From scholarly talks to hip events, Alice was the "it" person around town, it seemed. Her shy but warm smile always made me feel very happy to see her. When I saw Judy Woodruff announce her passing on the news tonight, my heart skipped a beat. 

My husband, Bob Hormats, also worked with her at Brookings, many years earlier. Thereafter he collaborated with her on numerous public policy initiatives in Washington over the course of many years.  She combined hard economic discipline with a compassion for the plight of everyday Americans. She was on a quest to help make the economy better for larger numbers of people, and did things with both head and heart. 

Alice, we miss you and send you our love in heaven above. 

Warmly,
Bob & Catherine Hormats

OBITUARY

Alice Mitchell Rivlin

March 4, 1931 – May 14, 2019

Joseph Gawler’s Sons, LLC

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