The female friendships formed on the Hilltop are one of the best stories we can point to during the last 50 years—and the friends of Helen Gallo Bryan ’81 are some of the closest around.
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Friends Forever
No one can quite put their finger on it. “It” being the moment when this friend group began. And “friend group” being the approximately 15 women from the class of 1981. They are, however, crystal clear on who brought them together: Helen Gallo Bryan ’81. Gallo Bryan, who passed away from ovarian cancer earlier this year, has left a legacy of friendship among this close-knit group of women.
“I don’t remember when we met exactly, I don’t think any of us do,” says Marybeth Ressa ’81. “Helen was just one of those people who was connecting with everyone.” Susan FitzMaurice ’81 couldn’t agree more. “She was a connector—she had a lot of different friend groups, and was from Bedford, N.H., so she knew the area and knew so many people,” she says. “Her dad worked here, so she knew the campus—she was so well-rounded and such a giving person and just brought people together.”
Gallo Bryan’s dad, notable alumni Walter J. Gallo ’58, H.D. ’08, and the college’s former vice president of endownment, who also passed away earlier this year, may have had something to do with her ability to draw people together, according to Ellen (Hickey) Lynch ’81. “Helen shared so much with all of us, especially her family,” she says. “We were so lucky that Walter and Julie Gallo welcomed so many of us into their home in Bedford for special occasions.” Lynch remembers one Family Weekend in particular: “The Gallos invited us for the nicest cocktail party at their home … we arrived with our parents, mums and bottles of wine to experience the most amazing Italian foods and hospitality from this wonderful family,” she says. “No one really wanted to leave for downtown Manchester to attend the Family Weekend Dance because the atmosphere was perfect right where we were.”
FitzMaurice laughs at the memory of some of the text messages she received from Gallo Bryan over the years. “She would always be writing to us, and some of her text messages would read like War and Peace — but she always remembered birthdays and anniversaries, and our group is so big,” she says. “But she was so good at staying in touch, she was a constant.”
Just as no one from the group can pinpoint the exact time this friend group began, no one remembers when exactly they began meeting up at reunions, and then gathering for weekend getaways. But it was usually Gallo Bryan leading the charge. “We have such a rich history together, and we would meet up for reunions, and the alumni winter weekend last year,” says FitzMaurice. “Helen was always texting us old photos and getting us excited about being together—and she always knew the best restaurants to go to.” Her friends credit Gallo Bryan’s 42 years in the wine business for knowing the best places to dine.
Beyond reunions and alumni events, the group traveled together to destinations such as Miami, Charleston, S.C., Mexico, and California. “Sometimes it was all of us, but sometimes just a few of us,” says Ressa. “In the beginning, I didn’t know everyone very well, but over the years we’ve all gotten to know each other better, and now we’re all so close, and that’s been a gift.”
For Lynch, these trips, and the friendships formed during the days on the Hilltop, were also thanks to Saint Anselm. “There are so many words to illustrate how meaningful these friendships continue to be, but one stands out for me and that is opportunity,” she says. “How blessed and fortunate we are to have had the opportunity to attend Saint Anselm when we did—and how lucky we were to have met each other as a result.”
While these friends struggle with the loss of Gallo Bryan, they take comfort in knowing they have each other. “These friendships mean the world to me, it’s hard to put into words,” says FitzMaurice. “Some of us might not have known each other that well during our time at Saint A’s, but we are now all super close—we are all lucky to know each other.”
And for Ressa, the bond of friendship she shared with Gallo Bryan worked its magic in her own family. “Helen was family for me—I can’t put it into words,” she says. “When my daughter Charlotte gave birth to her daughter last fall, she named her Carter Helen, and she sent this text announcing Carter’s arrival to her sisters: ‘We wanted to honor Aunt Helen, whose name means shining, torch or light, which couldn’t describe Aunt Helen better. We hope Carter will bring some of that same warmth to the world.’”