Silas, Grandma and Claire Callisto. Easter 2007.
To say Claire loved being Grandma would be an understatement. It was her focus and passion since retirement from teaching. Her rooms were always decorated with the newest art from Silas and Claire Callisto and she always had time to hear about their days and answer their questions.
Grandma read to them from the moment she could put them on her lap, and it was a great joy to her that she saw both become not only good readers, but truly passionate about reading and learning. I think any grandparent would agree, that Claire’s greatest legacy is her grandchildren. – Alice io
More images can be viewed on the Photo Galleries page.
Pilgrim Claire at the annual Westminster West School Thanksgiving.
Claire loved to dress in costume, be it Halloween, Thanksgiving or an Oscar Party. Her love of dress up and the freedom to create based around costume was contagious. She encouraged it in her students, friends and family. There was always a box of costumes in the Westminster West School and in our home for impromptu plays, or simply looking fine. Costumes also played an important part in Claire’s teaching about other cultures’ traditions, customs and arts.
After I moved from Vermont, I remember more than once receiving a package in the mail that had some wacky part of a costume she thought I would like. And when I was back for a visit she would often have costume items to send back with me. They were all well used and I now have my own costume box ready for dress-up at a moments notice. I will, like many of you, always think of Mom when I put on a costume for any event and it’ll make me smile to know she would be dressed up right along with me. – Alice io
For more images of Claire, her friends, family and students in costume, please visit the Photo Galleries page.
Claire loved to travel with family, friends and students. Her journeys took her near and far, from Mexico to Western US and south to Puerto Rico – from Bread and Puppet Festivals in northern Vermont, to Asheville, NC – from Friendship, ME to China, Thailand and Italy. Below are images from some of those adventures.
If you have an image of Claire from a time she traveled with your family and want to share it, please email to alice@iodesign.net
When Mac retired it provided him with time to pursue his interests in sundials. One of the earliest dials he created was a shadow plane dial painted on the basketball court at the Westminster West School. He also volunteered in Claire’s classroom to make sundials with the students.
Claire's Commemorative Sundial
When Claire decided to retire, Mac designed and coordinated the manufacture and installation of a large sculptural sundial at the Westminster West School to commemorate Claire’s 35+ years of teaching. The sundial is installed next to the school.
For more images of the development of the Claire’s Commemorative Sundial, see the Photo Galleries page.
Once Claire retired, she enjoyed traveling with Mac to the North American Sundial Society (NASS) Annual Conference, as well as going overseas to visit sundial designer and friend Tony Moss. The NASS Conference trips often included other members of our family. Molly attended the one in Toronto, Canada. Claire’s sister Judy, Alice and Hugh attended the Tenafly, NJ one. And probably the most memorable one for Claire was the 2007 gathering in McLean, VA, where Mac won the Sawyer Dialing Prize. Alice, Hugh and Claire’s grandson, Silas, got to spend time with Grandma seeing the sites in nearby Washington, DC while Mac attended the conference.
Here are some images from Mac and Claire’s sundial adventures.
Published in The Compendium: Volume 16, Number 3
Journal of the North American Sundial Society
In Memoriam: Claire Oglesby (1932-2009)
Claire Oglesby, beloved wife of NASS member (and frequent contributor to The Compendium) Mac Oglesby, passed away on August 5, 2009 after a long battle with cancer. Members who regularly attend the NASS conference will be familiar with Claire, who often accompanied Mac at the meetings. Before her retirement in 2001, Claire had taught first- and second-graders in a two-room schoolhouse in Vermont for nearly 40 years. She was named the Vermont Teacher of the Year in 1970 and was the subject of a documentary film The World In Claire’s Classroom. She received an honorary degree from Marlboro College and numerous awards, including one from the Anti-Defamation League because of her teaching about diversity. An event to celebrate Claire’s life was held on the campus of The Putney School and attracted 200 people. All the members of NASS send Mac and their daughters Alice and Molly our sincere sympathies.
Claire with garden in background.
Summers on Windmill Hill were full of gardens, kittens, dress up and many, many hours enjoying being outdoors. I think any day it was sunny, we were outside, reading, cooking out, wading in the brook, riding bikes, playing catch, exploring the woods,… the list goes on and on. We were fortunate to have both Mom and Dad home during the summer since, as teachers, they had summers off. I think I was in Junior High before I realized not everyone had parents that could be home ready with popsicles all summer. – Alice io
For more images of summer, see below.
Claire and Alice, June 1964.
My parents moved to Vermont in 1960. Dad built a log cabin using timber from the Windmill Hill land. (During construction they lived in a tar paper shack.) I was born in February 1964 and Molly Callisto in October 1965.
The cabin served as a favorite play space after we moved into the frame house Dad built behind the cabin.
– Alice io
For images from those early years, please see the Photo Galleries page.
Claire and Mac were married in NYC on January 27, 1956.
On their 50th Anniversary we enjoyed a terrific home cooked meal at Molly’s house and took this wonderful family photo.
– Alice
50th Anniversary dinner family photo: Hugh Munro, Alice, Claire, Mac, Molly, Claire Callisto, Silas, Judy Sutula, (front) Terry Holmes and Jody Sutula
Claire, Mac, Alice and Molly in front of Nova Scotia house. (September 1971)
In the early 1970s we spent summers in Nova Scotia, along the Bay of Fundy, Canada. It is a beautiful and rugged place with spectacular rocky beaches.
Novia Scotia beach. Foreground, Molly and Claire - background, Anne and Alice. (July 1972)
The sound when the tide came in was amazing as all those rocks were rolled around. I don’t recall doing much swimming, as the water was cold and rough, but I do remember hours upon hours of seeing what creatures lived in the tidal pools. – Alice
Family | alice February 5, 2010 | 
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