Guest Dispatch by Amaia Catan

Edited by Richard Grinker

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All kids who grow up in DC are united by a shared experience: being dragged to every museum the city has to offer. Long before Covid, I remember spending days inside the National Building Museum. It was rarely crowded, had lots of exhibits for kids, and—most importantly to my six-year-old self—the gift shop was beautiful.

When I sat down to interview Dene Garbow, I was surprised to discover that she had started the building museum gift shop in the 1980s. Dene has been living in a newly renovated apartment at Ingleside, a retirement community in northwest Washington, DC, since early 2020. My job was to interview her about her experience during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Before my conversation with Dene, I had preconceived ideas about people’s experiences during the pandemic. I expected her to discuss feeling isolated and afraid during such a destabilizing time, and, to some extent, she did talk about loneliness and fear. “You already feel vulnerable getting older, and then of course you felt vulnerable during Covid too,” she said

When the pandemic started, Dene was also caring for her spouse, whose health was quickly declining. She explained: “I was aware that my husband was going to be transferred from a hospital to rehab, and I stood outside, I saw him on a stretcher, and I kissed him. He knew who I was, and that was two minutes.” It was the last time she saw her husband.

As painful as this time was for Dene, what struck me the most about our conversation was how resilient and close-knit she and the other residents at Ingleside became, especially those on the fifth floor. “Everyone calls us the fabulous fifth floor,” she told me with a small smile. “Sometimes the whole floor would meet by the elevator to sit and talk. We all became very close friends, which was a big support.”

My conversation with Dene left me deeply impressed by her resilience and by the community at Ingleside. When I once again visited the Building Museum a few weeks ago, I couldn’t help but notice the gift shop and think about the person who made it.