Embodying the Legacy of Dr. Desiree Maple

Letter to Dr. Desiree Maple, April 1, 2020

Dearest Desiree,

My loyal friend, “woman of substance,” my longstanding DOT colleague who stood witness to good times and bad, standing firm, grounded, considerate of others, giving and caring with faith and hope; maintaining responsibility with sound decision making amidst the sometimes turbulent and chaotic.  You were my rock through it all.

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

In the long years in which we worked closely together at NYCDOT, you gave me so much and I’m so grateful for that.  Your contributions to Customer Service/Language Access were key to turning a challenging situation 180 degrees around, into one that became widely recognized as the City’s premier program for other City agencies to follow.

And I am indebted to you as our friendship seemed to bond more solidly when we went our separate ways and I decided to take on new responsibilities at DOT in a different unit.  We had wonderful times together, insightful discussions, good times over good food and pleasant talk that cut through the not so pleasant. How can we forget the fun picnic at Governors Island? You brought enough food to serve an army!  All of our staff and language partners loved it.

I will never forget how you manage so successfully during stressful times.  You are a woman of great resiliency with a commitment to maintaining and protecting the integrity of the program we had the pleasure of building together for almost twenty years.

Your keen ability to not just lead but to lead with integrity is forever remembered.

I’ve said to you time and time again, you have a special gift, a social-emotional-political  acumen and especially a spiritual and intellectual acumen in your ways of being in the world and relating to others.  Your achievements are astounding, and your career aspirations are highly admirable and deeply appreciated: 

Achievements

• Administrative Manager and Urban Planner with a:
• Doctorate in Theology
• Master’s degree in Urban Studies
• Certificate in Public Administration

Aspirations

… enroll in another degree program to earn a Masters degree in Social Work

You are a woman of substance with integrity and sense of knowing, relating to and caring for people on a deep wholesome level and this is what I’ve always respected and appreciated in you.

You are a woman of independent thinking, knowledgeable and authoritative, strategic and considerate, caring and empathic, genuinely interested in solutions, results and harmony, such a rare combination of qualities.    

Underlying those rare qualities is the driver that makes it all happen – a deep faith in the Lord with special ministerial talents of reciting, preaching and worship in the Gospel Choir, which I only became more acquainted with and began to appreciate more and more of, especially in recent years.   Your Gospel Choir performance at Carnegie Hall with Pastor Richard Hartley was phenomenal.

This memorable performance gave me insight into your world of faith and artistry.  In 2011, your reciting of a prayer at our DOT Customer Service event was beautiful. It was an experience that touched our souls.  Your creative ideas were key in establishing successful agency wide NYCDOT Citywide Customer Service Week events such as NYC walks and the Food Drive during Super Storm Sandy.  You made it possible for everyone to feel the true spirit of Customer Service by reinforcing inclusive, diverse and collaborative group experiences.

Throughout the years, you planned, organized, and coordinated many events inviting everyone and making sure everyone felt at home coming together as a family to relax yet celebrate the spirit of service. All levels of employees throughout DOT, our colleagues from other City agencies, and all of our Plain language and Customer Service stakeholders from the Offices of the Mayor, from the University, the private sectors and from the community, participating!

Everyone acknowledged how uplifting, fun and informative those gatherings turned out.

And your attention to detail in planning events was impeccable from ensuring appropriate signage translated into the top NYC languages, to recruiting “all hands on deck” confirming all logistics in order for a successful gathering.

We loved your idea of initiating the translation of NYC signage – “Great Service, Great City” and posting them in all DOT public service centers, including this one at the St. George Staten Island Ferry Terminal

And we loved your comprehensive event planning and assistance for the 2015 “Access to Independence Day in Downtown Brooklyn” hosted by NYCDOT and the NYC Office for People with Disabilities. You led the unit operation to produce fantastic signage for the entire event and helped the team create a unique interactive community display of DOT Language Access.

Your drive to continue this extraordinary work year after year while also carrying on with daily obligations to family, friends and the community has been well recognized and appreciated.  

You are a woman of deep faith and a unique genuinely-caring leader.

When I learned of your passing, I was heartbroken.  My world came to a full stop.  But I remember you used to call me a “wordsmith” and seem to always be reminding me to write and publish. In keeping with your encouraging spirit, I write and publish in your honor to embody your living legacy.

This letter is written for you, for those who knew and loved you and for all who may be reminded of what you have given us. Maybe there’s something here that I say about you that readers may already know or maybe there are other things I say that may be unknown. Hopefully, these words will spark beloved memories of all that you gave us so we might heal the unspeakable loss we feel. 

God took you home for a reason at this time. We don’t know why and as I wonder and start to guess, I also pause and think that all seems to be rather unproductive.  Instead, I meditate on the words of wisdom you’ve shared with me and all of the great insights that surfaced as we worked together in City government for so long.

Adding to these awesome qualities was your ability to “cut to the chase” and find the essence of meaning in each life experience, each communication, group dynamic or community trend.  You’d say, “Don’t add anything that’s unnecessary, distracting or too detailed. No one will read it anyway.”  Focus on the essence of the meaning and respond accordingly and “be warm and fuzzy!”   I’m grateful for these words of wisdom and humbly attempt to put them into action. Your logic is understood and appreciated and perhaps more importantly I know your advice is given honestly and with sound judgement because you care. Likewise, I felt you took heed to things I suggested you try differently because my suggestions were given in kind, with honesty and care.

But as you can see I’m having a hard time keeping this letter short. Writing to you in a letter was wonderful suggestion offered to me by Dr. Marcia Leventhal, pioneer dance movement therapist and psychologist in Los Angeles, California.  She knew how heartbroken I’ve been and suggested creative expression as a means toward healing. Sharing my thoughts and feelings about our working relationship in my long winded style is helping me cope with the stark reality of you passing.  I hope you’ll forgive me this time!

I would love for people to express their thoughts and memories of you, as I’m sure there is so much more about you that we can learn and experience. We lovingly reflect on our relationships with you and creatively transform our lives and ourselves based on the meaningful life experiences we’ve shared.  My feeling is that our lives have been all the better for it, as family, friends, parishioners, fellow students, graduates, and fellow employees.  I trust those experiences are not over but live inside us, with faith and hope eternally.

When I heard of your passing, I was distraught, broken, full of tears working through another layer of despair while coping in isolation to prevent spread of COVID19. This pandemic is the most turbulent and chaotic time for New York City, our country and the world. Nothing like anything we’ve ever experienced. It is the supreme test of our collective integrity and resiliency as humans and our wellspring of creativity, strength and endurance to overcome the greatest odds, together….caring and sharing.

Taking action to resolve and process the reality of your passing layered on top of COVID19 fears, I decided to walk in nature and meditate on those things in our working relationship that meant so much. Reflecting on your words of wisdom, I focused and as you would say “get to the point” or “cut to the chase” the essence of what was unique and special.

As I walked, I found a big rock on the ground, big enough to comfortably sit on…a flat oval shaped rock on a stream bed near a babbling brook with water flowing in a winding path down the hill, protected and shaded by trees and shrubs.   I was drawn to this place because for me, it has symbolic meaning, the essence of our friendship and working relationship and that is your wholesome sense of self and others that I vividly remember. I recall how you masterfully created relational space with people that offered all parties opportunities for fruitful interactions while striving for balance between being fluid while being grounded; embodying firmness with creativity; protection with yielding; leading while following; caring with letting go; and getting down to basics while rising above it all.

My dearest Desiree, you will always be my rock and my guardian Angel. 

“The LORD is my rock, my fortress, and my savior; my God is my rock, in whom I find protection. He is my shield, the power that saves me, and my place of safety.”

Love and blessings for eternal peace and love, in God we trust,

Your good friend and colleague,

Eleanor DiPalma