Remembering Maddie
My first memory of Maddie was when she was in the middle school. I followed Maddie and her mother down the
second floor hallway and I was struck by her light hearted innocent little
dance steps as she out paced her mother.
As a friend of the family because of the friendship between my son Ben
and Maddie’s brother Martin, I watched Maddie grow up, mature but never change
from the light hearted, happy, playful person.
In the Upper School, Maddie discovered a true passion with Art History
and her teacher, Ginny Bradford, remembers her well. “She was a pleasure to
teach. She was one of those students
with which you had an instant rapport because she was so excited about the
material and especially the Italian Renaissance. Maddie was full of what she loved and she
knew what it was. She always sat in the
front row of art history class, drinking it in, asking all kinds of questions.”
The Bahars received a note from former teacher Rebecca Scheirer
Fishburne and in it she said, "Maddie was one of my favorite students when I
taught at Bullis and some of my fondest classroom memories are of Maddie and
her friends. Maddie has an unfettered
enthusiasm and sense of joy that made her special."
Dr. Richard K. Jung (Headmaster 1991-2003)
remembers, “In 2001, The Girls Varsity Basketball team was at an all time high
under coach Wayne Ferrell and with marquee players like Monique Currie,
Krystalyn Ellerbe and Erin Ferrell. I
sat through many games to say with authority that nothing….and I mean nothing
brought the fans to their feet and the roar of bulldog pride louder than when
everyone’s favorite, Maddie Bahar stepped on to the floor. It still gives me goose bumps remembering the
tremors that ran through the bleachers and the ear-piercing shouts of MADDIE,
MADDIE, MADDIE!!! when she entered the game.
Maddie was characteristically humble and almost embarrassed by her
celebrity status. Moments I joyously
remember.
Ben Brundred shared
with me “Maddie was the first friend I made at Bullis and I'll never forget the
first time I met her. We were on our outdoor ed. trip at the beginning of
Freshman year and we were at a campground, in a big field at the bottom of a
hill. I noticed a girl walking around looking very content. She
started singing a "Backstreet Boys" song to herself, but when Maddie
sang to herself she SANG to herself - at full volume. We struck up a
conversation and from that moment I knew she was good people. Even at
that time in our lives when being cool was everything, Maddie was incredibly
grounded and true to herself. She was always ready for a good time and
she had such a wonderful laugh - a real belly, in your gut kind of laugh.
I miss spending time with her because she was so easy to be around and made
everyone relax. You could forget your worries and have a good laugh with
her about nothing in particular. We all miss her greatly.”
Maddie went on to major in art History at Kenyon College. After graduation she continued her education
following her passion to George Washington University where she completed a
graduate degree in Museum education.
A crazy picture of Maddie with a pink crane and the caption “Madizzle”
is the header for the following: “SWF 5’11’, enjoys laughing, watching TV and
movies, throwing theme parties at her crib, dancing when the music moves her.”
That is the first thing one sees when visiting “Maddie’s World”, a blog she
created to remain in contact with all of her friends and family.
One cold Tuesday this past February, the entire Bullis School happily
struggled to fold bright colored slips of paper into elegant origami
cranes. When we delivered the hundreds
of cranes that has been folded on Maddie’s behalf, her face lit up as the
cranes bobbed about while her father hung the curtain of color around her. The cranes provided a moment of frivolity and
she told us of her planes to visit Italy and pressed us for details. Her smile and energy never faded even in the
last days of her illness.
A few days before Maddie died she wrote in her blog “I’m still
here”. I’m not at all sure what the real
reference to that statement is but it struck a cord with many people at Bullis
as it implies Maddie’s enduring spirit and the fact that her memories are “still
here” with us at Bullis.
