This classroom is dedicated to Molly de Ramel, who was born in Washington, DC, to her father Allan Ackerman and her mother Abigail Campbell King. Molly grew up in Arlington, Massachusetts, and excelled at all levels of her education, first at Shady Hill School in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and then at Milton Academy. There she left a trail of academic and athletic accomplishments, including captain of the squash team, Massachusetts state champion, top ten in the United States in Extemporaneous Speech, and the first woman to be editor of the school newspaper. She then attended Harvard University and graduated Magna Cum Laude in the top 5% of her class.
Her dream had always been to be a journalist, and after graduating from university, she pursued a career in broadcast television. Soon she had her first job broadcasting in a small town in Vermont. In time, major TV networks noticed her excellent work, and before long she was a daily anchor and reporter for a national network in New York City. Along the way, she earned an Emmy for her reporting of the 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center.
Leaving broadcast television to marry Guillaume de Ramel, Molly moved with him to Newport, Rhode Island, to start their family. She surrounded their two children with love, books, and chances to learn something more, from chess to squash. She taught her children that the goal wasn’t the grade but the pleasure of mastering and applying something new.
As Molly’s children grew into adolescence, she founded and led her own company to coach and teach executives. In short order, her client list included world-renowned company executives. Molly also lent her voice as an active director or trustee of a library and an elementary school, and co-founded an organization that made sure anyone, regardless of means, could learn her beloved game of squash, thereby spreading her passion for literature, history, education, and helping disadvantaged children.
Molly was recognized throughout her life as a remarkable, accomplished human being and as a kind, tough, and intelligent mother and wife with a real sense of humor. She loved learning and teaching, and she wanted all children to have the precious opportunity of education.
Honoured by her family through The de Ramel Foundation