In late September of 2008, a little more than a year after the death of her mother, mom wrote a letter and sent her original birth certificate to someone named Beth at the law offices of Colling, Gilbert, Wright, and Carter. I assume this had something to do with their lawsuit against Indigo Manor.
September 24, 2008
Colling, Gilbert, Wright, and Carter
801 North Orange Avenue
Suite 830
Orlando, Florida 32801Dear Beth,
I’m sorry for the delay in sending this to you. I have been under tremendous stress for the last six months, basically because the grant funding for my position with the school district was not renewed.
I appreciate all that you have done for my brother and me on behalf of my mother, and I hope to have the chance to meet you at some time.
Enclosed is my original Birth Certificate. It is my understanding that you will copy it and return the original to me after certifying the copy.
Again, please keep me advised of dates and meeting times.
Thank you,
Kathleen A. Gagne
Mom came from a time when the art of writing letters was still tremendously important, and she was a great writer. She wrote letters throughout her entire life and sent them to politicians and to business leaders, to the newspapers where she lived, to disgruntled collection agencies, to PTA members, to friends, and — of course — to her children and family. I’ve found copies of letters she’s written to three different Presidents of the United States and they are all formatted exactly as formally as the ones she wrote to me in college.