Last weekend, we celebrated our dear Anna Rita Flati. After over 30 years of working magic for Cornell, she has decided to retire in order to pursue her many other interests, while probably relaxing a little more! Speaking well to Anna Rita’s lively spirit, the lecture hall was transformed into quite a festivity. Platters of fresh formaggio, marinated asparagus, olives, salame, sundried tomatoes wrapped in grilled eggplant and more… certainly, no one would be going hungry!
For a while, happy chewing and laughter fluttered about the room. Then, various colleagues of Anna Rita’s, including Jefferey Blanchard and Kent Kleinman, made lovely speeches. Jefferey, who’s worked with her for multiple decades, emphasized how Anna Rita constantly solves the most difficult challenges that no one thinks could arise. Kent talked about how incredible it’s been working with her for 10 years, that it’s been a pure joy despite the thousands of miles distance! The speeches commenced with a room-wide champagne toast.
I feel very, very lucky that I’ve gotten to know Anna Rita before she leaves for her next adventures. Not only do I now have a repertoire of magnificent pasta and sauce recipes that I’ll surely use throughout my life, but I also have her glorious smile and “Ciao!” forever engrained in my memory. Every interaction I have with Anna Rita lights up my day. She was our mama this semester, and I appreciate everything she’s done for us. Grazie mille, Anna Rita! Ti vogliamo bene.
Sabine Strauch