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Enid Shapiro
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As In Touch began a conversation with Enid Shapiro, LICSW, at her home off Beacon Street in Brookline, the phone began to ring and just didn’t stop. Calls from near and far came in, as they do every day to this lifelong “connector” of people and ideas. Gifted with a dynamic personality and lifestyle that counter stereotypes about aging, Shapiro is passionate about learning – all kinds of learning. As a friend and colleague of hers advised, “A 500 word article about Enid – well, 500 words will just about cover the list of projects that Enid is involved with currently!”
So here is our short list: at age 82, Enid Shapiro is… a geriatric social worker, member of many area boards, political and social activist, literary enthusiast, wife, mother and grandmother, painter, tennis player, swimmer, cancer survivor, world traveler, 2007 recipient of a doctorate of humane letters from Hebrew College, Hebrew language student, Temple Sinai member, opera lover, friend, advisor, and mentor to countless individuals. Here is what she recently shared with In Touch:
Connecting with people and ideas has always been at the heart of what I do. I grew up in Roxbury and later attended Brookline High School. Growing up with a very ill father made me aware early on that people experience difficulties. My mother and grandmother were the positive inspirations and motivating role models for me. I attended Boston University on scholarship, majored in journalism and was an editor of the B.U. News. After college, I moved to New York City and became a research reporter for PIX, Inc., a news and literary house. Back in Boston I worked for the Jewish Weekly Times in a variety of roles including …can you believe it…sports editor!
I was always a dedicated social activist and met my husband Mel when we worked together on a presidential campaign at the end of WWII. Our progressive party candidate, Henry Wallace, lost the election to Harry Truman. As we raised our family, Mel went on to become a partner in the largest independent accounting firm in New England. After the children were older I went back to school at age 40 and got my masters degree in social work from Simmons College. My career has been fascinating and rewarding, combining love for people with social action. I worked for Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, Jewish Family and Children’s Services, and Jewish Memorial Hospital. From the beginning, the focus of my work has been geriatrics and today I maintain a private practice.
As we grow older and face inevitable changes, attitude has a great deal to do with how we age. Thirty years ago, I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and have had two recurrences. A positive outlook and focus on staying involved and healthy has made the difference in my life. Realistically, this has been challenging. I swim several times weekly and play tennis. I read, read, and read…sometimes staying up way too late! Right now I’d recommend Colm Toibin’s The Master, a novel about Henry James, A Thousand Splendid Sons by Khaled Hosseini, and Old Filth by Jane Gordam.
One key to aging well is living a life of learning and service. Painting in oils is a new, wonderful, and creative form of expression for me. I love it! I’m very involved with Temple Sinai here in Brookline and with the Inter-religious Committee on Public Life at Hebrew College and Andover Newton Theological School. Having a great extended family – children, relatives, and friends is very important. I often look back and consider the experiences that my husband Mel and I had traveling all over the world and find that I’m still growing from those incredible journeys. Life has been a great wonder and continues to amaze and inspire me.
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