An Enduring Friendship

The mother of one of our colleagues Stef Kotsonis died late last year at age 77. In eulogizing his mom, Helen Panopalis Kotsonis, Stef remarked on one thread of her life that involved a woman named Masha Leon, and led us to a remarkable story that begins with the Holocaust and ends with a gift Masha Leon made for Helen when they were children. We talk with Masha about her long friendship with Helen Kotsonis and about that gift and the lifetime’s worth of memories that came flowing back when it was returned to Masha after Helen’s death.

The photos below show Masha at school, Masha and Helen at school and in later years, and the doll which Masha gave Helen.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/wbur/sets/72157623559817966/