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A Lifelong Learner and a Pioneer

Sarabelle Madoff Annenberg, ALB '97,
Embodies the Spirit of the Aurelio Prize

Dr. Santo Joseph Aurelio, ALB '83, ALM '85, established the Santo J. Aurelio Prize Fund in1993 to honor an undergraduate degree recipient over 50 years of age whose character and record of academic achievement are distinguished and unique. The spirit of Dr. Aurelio's award is fully embodied in the Extension School's 1997-98 recipient, Ms. Sarabelle Madoff Annenberg.

Sarabelle Madoff Anneberg

Ms. Annenberg, born in 1917, is a first-generation American. Both her mother and father were Russian-Jewish immigrants. Her father became a retail businessman in Massachusetts and owned two clothing stores in the factory towns of Clinton and Hudson.

When Ms. Annenberg graduated from high school in the early 1930s, she hoped to follow in her brother Irving's footsteps and attend Harvard to study medicine. She was accepted at Radcliffe College, but the Madoffs, like the majority of American families, were hit hard by the Depression and did not have the means to send their daughter to the college of her choice, although she attended State Teachers' College for one year.

While conceding that Harvard was no longer a possibility, Ms. Annenberg was determined to have an education in science. She did factory work and office work to save money for the one-year laboratory training program at Boston University Medical School that became her single-minded goal. The program accepted two students each year, and in 1938 Ms. Annenberg was one of them. While a student she worked as a resident counselor in an orphanage. Her only free time was Saturday afternoons from 1 to 6 pm. "I afforded myself the luxury of a 25-cent movie on Saturdays," she said. "It was hard work, and there was very little money, but I was happy and grateful to be in school." Although there were very few jobs when she graduated, Ms. Annenberg was fortunate to land a position at Brunswick Hospital in Maine, where she took x-rays and did all the clinical laboratory work. The experience was invaluable, but after three years she wanted more responsibility and a greater challenge.

In 1942 Ms. Annenberg applied for a job as a research technician at Massachusetts General Hospital and was hired by the head of the Department of Bacteriology, Dr. Louis Dienes. It was at Massachusetts General and in Boston, where she took science courses at Northeastern and Boston Universities, that her creative scientific talents flowered; Ms. Annenberg was able to make significant contributions in the field of mycoplasma. In the years that followed, she was called upon to teach and lecture around the globe. She was honored with European fellowships, which included a year at the Pasteur Institute in Paris. Active in many professional associations since 1955, Ms. Annenberg was elected in 1978 to the American Academy of Microbiology, a singular honor for someone without a degree. She wrote two books and was the author or co-author of more than 70 scientific publications in the field of mycoplasma and L-forms of bacteria. "I was extremely fortunate," she said. "I was introduced into this new and exciting field of bacteriology of which Dienes was the pioneer, and soon I, too, became a pioneer."

After a short marriage in the 1950s, Ms. Annenberg found herself becoming a pioneer in another area: single motherhood. She raised her daughter, Eve, alone while working full time at the hospital. "It was not easy. I went through quite a few babysitters, but Eve is my life, we are great friends, and I am very proud of how she has turned out." Eve is a graduate of Juilliard in drama and currently an independent filmmaker.

In 1987 after 45 years of service at Massachusetts General Hospital, Ms. Annenberg began her next adventure (though, she continues to pursue her research part time and to publish her findings). She had never forgotten her dream of acquiring a college degree, particularly at Harvard, from which two of her brothers (Dr. Irving Madoff, AB '35, and Dr. Henry Madoff, AB '46) had graduated. In 1986 Sarabelle applied to the Bachelor of Liberal Arts Program (ALB) at Harvard Extension School. "Since my first 20 years of research work were supported by Harvard, I can now enjoy the benefits of vested rights and hopefully complete my bachelor's degree," she wrote on her application. "I have always deeply regretted my lack of formal degrees. Now that I have more time, I wish to expand my horizons and pursue my cultural interests, particularly in the area of fine arts."

This past November, Ms. Annenberg's academic life came full circle. She earned her Bachelor of Liberal Arts degree in Extension Studies, cum laude, from Harvard University with a concentration in humanities and fine arts, and was awarded the Santo J. Aurelio Prize for her academic achievement and distinguished and unique character. The Extension School congratulates her in achieving her goal at age 81 (39 years after registering for her first Harvard Extension course, and some 60 years after her initial acceptance at Harvard).

The story, however, does not end here. We wish Ms. Annenberg the best of luck with her latest adventure--seeking her Master of Liberal Arts (ALM) in Fine Arts at the Harvard Extension School. At 81 years old, Ms. Annenberg continues to be a pioneer--a pioneer in lifelong learning.

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