Woman of Iron

by Peter Vuono

     In my life time I've seen some incredible women of iron. I was fortunate to see the very first women's national powerlifting tournaments in the early 70's in Nashua and the first women's world powerlifting championships at the Univ. Of Lowell. I saw woman raw bench press 250lbs and do squats and deadlifts of over 400lbs. This inspired me to write about women of iron that I had not seen in Powerlifting USA Magazine. I wrote about Princess Aiyaruk, a 15th century Tarter Princess who wrestled and pinned over 100 men. I wrote about Barnum and Baily circus performer Katie Sandwina who could juggle small cannonballs and I wrote about Dr. Cindy Reinhoudt, the first woman to ever enter a weightlifting contest.
Indeed, I've seen women perform amazing feats.  However, the strongest woman that this author had ever met was a teacher who never picked up a weight in her life.
     I graduated from Massasoit CC in 1974. At the time I graduated, Massasoit had hired Professor Laura Yellen to teach English. She later would gravitate toward helping children who had the most needs in both the LATCH and Helping Hands Program. I continued to work for the athletic department up to 1995 and that is where I had the good fortune to meet this extraordinary woman.
     Laura was a great sports fan but more than this, a fan of her students and students in general. She attended every men's and women's soccer and basketball games with few exceptions. This is how I got to know her and one of the easiest things that I've ever done in my life and certainly one of the most rewarding was becoming Laura's friend.
    As time went buy, Laura, without my ever having to ask her,  afforded a miasma of kindnesses toward me which spanned decades. As I was scoring for the soccer team, I would watch Laura read a children's book to my young daughter, Amy and then give it to her as a present. She mentioned in the school magazine, The Associate, about my having an entertainment business and then proceeded to book me for at least 3 magic shows at the college. She wrote references  to secure for me a teaching job with adults in night school. She even invited me to the school to lecture to all her classes about some of the techniques that I used while teaching. The list is endless and  what is equally amazing is the fact that Laura constantly did these things not only for me; but for everyone she knew!
     At a recent memorial in her honor, a former athlete, Christopher Horn, retold the tale of how he had broken his arm in a soccer game that Laura had attended. Horn, a foreign student, had no family living close by  and it was Laura who spent the 5 hours with him at the emergency room. Some people say that acts like these write one's name in heaven. If this be true, there is a billboard in heaven with Laura Yellen's name on it the size of Mount Rushmore.
    One may ask then, why is this woman the strongest woman that I've ever met? The answer is quite simple. Laura had the power to make smile every single person that she came in contact with and the ability to make that same person instantaneously achieve better self esteem. She had the magical charm of making a person's most somber day become bright.
    When I last spoke to Laura, she told me that something was going on inside her that needed attending to. I had no idea that she was fighting leukemia. When she didn't show up at my son's graduation in early June of 2010, I knew that something was seriously wrong.
     In Laura's final hours she decided that she did not want to partake of certain treatments which would help to improve her condition. She wanted those treatments to go to someone who was younger than she  and who had children. Her last act of kindness was selflessly given to someone that she would never even meet.
     I tried to think if just a few words that would encapsulate Laura's life. Thanks to my cousin Stephanie, it was obvious that Mother Teresa's words were the perfect choice."Three things in life are important; the first is to be kind, the second is to be kind and the third is to be kind". I never met anyone who more passionately lived this creed than Laura Yellen; and it is doubtful that I ever will. She was truly, a woman of iron.