Greg Goodknight ’77

Student, Aero I & II

I met Mrs. C at the Bates Open House for freshmen in 1972; I didn’t know if my myopia would preclude being in the program but I’d dreamt of flying for years and had to find out and was pleasantly suprised it didn’t bar me from the program or from flying ever since. Thank you, Mrs. C, for the gift of flight. And Mr. C and of course, Shirley Froyd, who all successfully kept me from killing myself or bending Cessna 42G.

After my wife Teri Cahill (Math ’78) passed away in 2000, after a time I had a chance to rekindle a relationship with a woman (from Pomona College) I had dated as an undergrad and I shared with her some of Mrs. C’s accomplishments… she rejected the story as implausible… no one could do all those things. Be all those people. At those levels.

Mrs. C could.

She will be missed. She is missed.

Beth Platt Garrow

HMC Family

Sending love to Sandy, Robin and their family. Iris and Critch were so much a part of the Platt family, and I have fond memories of them while growing up and again, later in life. Iris would email me after seeing me at an HMC event well after her 100th year and was always curious about what we were up to. Our last visit with her was in 2023 which lasted well over an hour. She was still swimming many laps in her pool, sharp as ever, and deeply proud of all the HMC students she taught over the years. Such an amazing life and one that was so giving and humble. We miss her!

Leticia Calderon

Ad admirer

I’m fairly new to HMC so I did not have the pleasure of meeting you. I was, however, amazed to read of your many accomplishments and the legacy you left behind. You paved the way for women like myself, the students at HMC, and the 7Cs. You make me proud to be a woman. May you rest in everlasting peace.

Josh Slater ’06

Student

I’ll never forget Iris. Though the Bates program had long ended by my time, she was there every step of the way through my aviation journey, from my first flight in 42G as a freshman, to my PPL checkride prep after college, and my most memorable flying experience of all with her, Mike Magras and several others on a California tour from POC all the way up to PML. What an adventure! I’ll always treasure the memories and a legacy she has instilled in me and so many others along the way. You will be missed, Iris.

Jon Jacobsen

Colleague

In fourth grade, my daughter became interested in Amelia Earhart. When I mentioned that Iris had known her, Reya immediately asked if she could interview Iris. They met and had an inspiring conversation—no surprise to anyone who knew Iris.

At the end of their chat, Iris turned to Reya and asked if she wanted to try flying. Reya’s face lit up with excitement. Within a week or two, I found myself in the back of Iris’s plane. We had spent a significant amount of time going through the pre-flight routine and safety checks, with Iris teaching Reya every step of the way. Once we were in the air, I assumed Iris would handle the flying and bring us back—how naive of me.

Once we were settled, Iris turned to Reya and said, “Okay, your turn.” And just like that, we were off. “Turn left,” she instructed, and the next thing I knew, Reya was at the controls, guiding the plane. Sitting in the back, I was in absolute awe—watching my daughter experience the thrill of flying and seeing Iris in her element, teaching and sharing her knowledge and passion. It was incredible.

This was just one small example of Iris’s remarkable generosity and willingness to share the joy of flight with others. I was fortunate to get to work with Iris over the years with the Aero Scholarship and other endeavors and will miss her dearly.