Alliene Vale contributed mightily to the cultural education of her sons’ friends. She welcomed all of us into her inviting home, and in her inimitably dramatic fashion she encouraged us to sample opera, symphonies, and the Great Books. My introduction to grand opera came at age 14 when the Vales gave their tickets to “Aida” to their son Wylie and three of his friends; opera has enriched my life for the ensuing half-century. Even though we never made it through the shelf of Great Books, at least we learned what they were and had many animated conversations about literature in the Vales’ comfortable living room.