The stereotypical person we presume works in libraries would never ride a motorcycle to work each day or charm her way into an abiding friendship with a celebrity – but Clarise DeQuasie was not easily pigeon-holed. She had a passion for life, for animals, for people in pain, and for Luciano Pavarotti. Clarise became ill and died at the age of 63 in 2001. In her Will, she bequeathed her Pavarotti collection to Vanderbilt, and she established a Fund within The Community Foundation to benefit Alive Hospice and Walden’s Puddle. Each year, because Clarise cared, orphaned and injured wild animals will be rehabilitated through Walden’s Puddle, and the dying and their families will receive support through the staff of Alive Hospice.
