- The Kokoski family of Mapleline Farm.
The Value of Family
The day we photographed the cover of this issue also happened to be
my birthday. Longtime UMass Amherst magazine photographer Ben Barnhart
knew this, so in lieu of the traditional “Say cheese!” he had members
of the Kokoski family sing the “Happy Birthday” song. At the end of
the tune, without missing a beat, the voices segued into their family’s
version, in Polish. Being serenaded by a joyful chorus of (mostly)
dairy farmers in that lovely language on a bright May morning was a
gift I’ll never forget.
I realized later that that spontaneous burst of tradition and mirth
was what this special issue on family celebrates. Family life is at
the heart of who we are. At their best, our families are a favorite
tune sung in multipart harmony. Even at their worst, families are the
most intimate parts of our selves.
The seed for this issue was planted in Winter 2006 when staff writer
Faye Wolfe told us about the Rudd family gift establishing an endowed
chair for adoption studies in the Psychology Department. The amount
of mail generated by the one-page story showed us we had touched a
nerve, and the content of the letters guided us to create a special
issue on family. We didn’t need to go very far to find compelling stories.
The UMass Amherst Center for Research on Families is at the forefront
of studying family issues. Thanks to these scholars, there is a growing
body of data on subjects such as what policies help families succeed
in balancing work and parenthood; economic and societal impacts of
same-sex marriage; wage penalties for motherhood; the impact of television
in young families’ homes; the role of mental health in family stability;
and so many more.
We also spread the word across campus that we were looking for great
UMass Amherst families as well as alumni at the intersection of work
and family life. We found them in spades and share them with you in
this issue.
Our aim is to be apolitical in these pages, but as the nation gears
up for a presidential campaign—and the definitions of family-friendly
policies and family values will be heartily debated—these are subjects
of great importance to all of us. Family life is the fabric of the
human race and worthy of close study and careful consideration. And
of joyful song and celebration, too.
