Letter to the editor: a tribute to Joanna Hopkins

Joanna Hopkins

To the editor:

After 40 years as a resident of Lincoln, Joanna Hopkins is moving across the country to reside in San Francisco where her daughter and family are assuring not only a smooth transition to life in the West, but also occasional trips to the Lake Tahoe area for hiking or cross-country skiing.

It is almost impossible to imagine someone more engaged and civic minded than Joanna, and Lincoln’s loss will most certainly be San Francisco’s gain. Joanna and her husband Mike Tannert, who passed away in 2017, first came to Lincoln in 1978. Almost immediately upon arrival, they helped launch the Lincoln Adventurers, a group of about 20. which twice a year for many years headed to the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the fall for hiking and enjoying the foliage and in the winter for downhill or cross-country skiing. Moreover, during two decades in Lincoln, Joanna and Mike led more than 15 skiing and hiking trips to Switzerland, Germany, and Austria as volunteers for the Appalachian Mountain Club. Some Lincoln residents joined them on these trips.

In the early 2000s, Joanna became involved with the Lincoln Democratic Town Committee (LDTC) which she eventually co-chaired with Ilana Newell for several years. Joanna was an early supporter of Deval Patrick for governor and Barack Obama for president. She continues to serve to the present day on its executive committee, offering thoughtful perspectives on critical topics.

Lincoln resident Laura Berland describes moving to Lincoln in 2005, getting involved with the Lincoln Democrats, and finding Joanna’s encouragement, deep knowledge of the issues, and energy a tremendous inspiration as she (Laura) deepened her own involvement in progressive politics, and eventually herself became co-chair of the LDTC. 

And there’s more! An active member of the Council on Aging, Joanna served as chair of the COA Trip Committee and participated in the COA Memoirs Group. Her memoir is an ongoing project. She has served as treasurer for Codman Community Farm and as a member of the Peace and Justice Committee of the First Parish in Lincoln.  She was an enthusiastic participant in setting up a monthly discussion group of some 16-18 friends which has been active for over 20 years. And as if there isn’t enough going on in her life, three years ago with Peggy Schmertzler, she established a Lincoln Book Group comprised of 12 Lincoln residents.

In addition, Joanna is keenly concerned about women’s equality and well-being. As a graduate of Harvard’s MA Program in Soviet Regional Studies, she has recently served on the Committee for the Equality of Women at Harvard.  She also works in other ways on behalf of women and their interests from funding Emily’s List to collecting toiletries and other items for donation to women in local domestic violence shelters. 

Joanna has brought an amazing background to her various interests. Raised in Pittsburgh, she graduated from Smith College with a major in English and has a PhD from Columbia University in Russian language and literature. In 1959 she served as a Russian-speaking guide at the first American exhibition in Moscow. In the 1960s, she researched her dissertation in Leningrad on a Ford Foundation Fellowship, and, even today, readily retrieves the fine points of many a Russian novelist, poet, or political philosopher. She has enjoyed a varied career that included writing reports on the Soviet Union for the White House, teaching at Yale and Fordham Universities, as well as work in human resource and financial management in high tech companies in the Boston area, retiring from Digital Equipment Corp. in 1997. 

Greatly appreciated for her thoughtful analysis of public affairs, her excellent memory, and her capacity to articulate her ideas and positions, Joanna’s departure will leave a big gap among her Lincoln colleagues and friends. In fact, there’s no one who will be able to quote a New York Times editorial or a Paul Krugman op-ed piece with such precision and enthusiasm. No doubt her energies and perspectives will find a congenial spot in San Francisco. We wish her bon voyage and a happy landing in her new home.

Sincerely,

Barbara Slayter
7 Trapelo Rd., Lincoln