Family comes first for new president
Ruth Stevens
Princeton NJ -- While she's worked very hard to establish a distinguished career as a scientist, Shirley Tilghman said her family always has been her number one priority.
Usually in the office by 8 a.m., she's been determined to be home in time for dinner with her children. Daughter Rebecca, 20, is a Princeton junior majoring in art history and now lives on campus. But Tilghman still enjoys evening meals with son Alex, 18, who graduated from high school last year and is working in the area.
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Shirley Tilghman with her son, Alex, and her daughter, Rebecca.
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In addition to her family in Princeton, Tilghman is close to her mother and two sisters, who live in Canada. She said she is comfortable juggling the demands of work and family life. "Everybody keeps telling me I'm going to work so hard in this job," she said. "I keep saying, 'What have I been doing so far?' I'm used to a very heavy work schedule."
Most evenings, she spreads out her files on the kitchen table and works for a little while. Tilghman is looking forward to moving into a larger residence where she actually will have a home office.
She plans to try Lowrie House -- the official president's home on Stockton Street -- and "see how it feels." She is a little nervous about how the rest of the family -- nine-year-old beagle Max and kitten Jibber -- will adapt to their new surroundings.
She'll rent her three-bedroom bungalow for a year and see how things go. "If that just isn't for me, then I'll sell the little house and buy something bigger in town."
Tilghman knows that she'll have to set parameters when it comes to demands on her time.
"Harold (Shapiro) has told me that no one else will do
it. I'm going to have to," she said. "I feel strong family
obligations, and I'm not going to let those fall by the
wayside. It's always been my top priority, and they are
extremely important."
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May 21, 2001 Contents New president
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