Hilary A. Cusack, HK 2004
In 1996, Hilary’s family began hosting the Kroks in their home, “Westcliffe,” during the Kroks’ annual spring break pilgrimage to Bermuda.
Jamil Myrie ’95 remembers his initial meeting with them:
“I first met the Midons in 1995 during Sunday brunch at the Royal Bermuda Yacht Club.
We had just finished our first set and it was now time to eat! I was making my way over to the buffet to serve up some ‘bites’ and on the way I made the acquaintance of little Mr. Matthew Midon, who was all of five or six years old, not the least bit shy or intimidated (not even by this 6’5”, 245-pound black guy from NYC!) and really quite confident and outgoing for a person his age.
Full of unbridled energy, he came to my table to share a few games and stories with me. Hilary made her way over to us to gather Matthew, fearing he may have been becoming a bit of a nuisance to us college boys, but I assured her that everything was cool. As the time drew near for them to leave, Matthew and his sister Stephanie shared that they had a trampoline at their house and told me I should come over and play with them. How could I say no? I hopped on my moped and went out to their beautiful home.
When I arrived, I never felt so welcomed before in my life. Matthew led me on a handheld tour of the house through his eyes – basically directly to his toy world and then out back to jump on the trampoline. We played and played for what seemed like hours and had so much fun!”
The following year, they once again agreed to share their home to host a number of Kroks. By 2003, they had built a guest room with six bunk beds, at least partially with the Kroks in mind.
Eliah Seton, Kroks of 2004 recalls:
“Bestowing this honor upon Hilary was a long time coming. From the inception of our relationship, the family had given us paradise. On the final night of the Kroks’ stay that year, we barbecued at Westcliffe and shared a tearful and memorable candlelit singalong around the family’s kitchen table.”
The family generously hosted the Kroks for several more years until business brought them back to the United States.
Per Hilary:
“Even more transporting for me was being the only guest (and female) at your dinner in the “Westcliffe” kitchen that last night. It started out funny, because I was always trying to give you guys your space and not hover or mother. However, it was so hard not to worry about how on earth you were all going to feed yourselves by midnight, when the process seemed totally disorganized to a mild Type A. I recall very little advance planning, grocery shopping, menu coordination, etc. for a dinner for 15 or so young men, but do remember one guy calling his mother (possibly all the way out on the west coast?) for her recipe for pasta with mushroom sauce in the end. I can still picture his face but would have to go back through the pictures to come up with his name.
However, what to an experienced mom like myself seemed like trying to herd cats, eventually turned into a virtual religious experience as you fellows began by singing grace. The whole evening of conversation and song in the near darkness was deeply spiritual and often poignant as people spoke authentically within the safe confines of your brotherhood. I felt uniquely honored to be a part of such powerfully tangible connection; it was very special personally indeed.”