Comments on: Dianne Swann-Wright, known for historical research at Monticello, remembered for contributions to EMU

By: Moniqua Acosta

Moniqua Acosta — Mon, 14 Jan 2019 21:48:22 +0000

Ms. Swan-Right taught me many things during my time at EMU (94-98) From being accountable to one another, to looking beyond yourself, but most importantly she taught me to stand up for my rights as a human being and to believe in myself. She was the first person who had my back and held my hand as I dealt with discrimination. She showed me what compassion is and the power of words. She was instrumental in my success as a student because I knew I had a strong support when I needed it or felt alone. She is resting in Glory now, I know, and I will always be grateful that that the Creator had her exactly where I needed her to be in those moments of my life.

By: mamie m mellinger

mamie m mellinger — Tue, 30 Jan 2018 21:34:36 +0000

I grieve this loss. I was privileged to work in the same division with Dianne. One time I made a visit to her home church in Dillwyn, Va….she loved her congregation and wanted to share them with us…an unforgettable memory. She was a special person in so many respects.

By: Eliza Miya “Matos” Gaskins ‘96

Eliza Miya “Matos” Gaskins ‘96 — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 14:01:24 +0000

Diane was my mentor when I was a student at EMU. I could never fully articulate how much she meant to me. Even after I graduated she continued to be one of the most important people in my life. She treated me like a daughter. She encouraged me, she prayed for me, we shared many laughs and some tears together. Being a mom, she always pushed me to continue to follow my own passions, dreams, and personal development. We were there for one another during difficult times. She is the reason I developed a love for reading. She cultivated a thirst for knowledge because her own thirst for knowledge was contagious. She became a beloved member of my family and a dear loved one to my children. She would find out what they were passionate about and talk to them about how to cultivate their own talents and interests. She found out one of my daughters liked to cook. She also knowing that my children’s father was deceased but with roots in the South decided she needed to connect her heritage and her cooking. So she spent a weekend teaching her how to cook things that a young girl with southern roots would learn from her own grandmother. She put her own grandmothers apron on my daughter and they were so proud of the delicious salmon cakes and peach cobbler she mastered while visiting. I could never ever fully articulate what she meant to me. Losing her felt as significant as losing my own mother. Her transition from this life to the next, while glorious for her still leaves many of us heart broken. I have enduring friendships from my time at EMU. Because of Diane and those other enduring friendships from my time there with women I now feel are my sisters, I will always be grateful for attending EMU.

By: Robert C.Watson

Robert C.Watson — Sat, 27 Jan 2018 12:02:44 +0000

I will remember Dianne as a great friend of my family, as a caring person,and as an exceptional historian/scholar who helped all of us to not only to search for the truth, but to share it with others.The ground breaking research that Dianne and Cinder Stanton did at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello continues to serve as a model of how to interpret historic homes from a wholistic perspective.