Inklings 2025

SHEILA NATASHA SIMROD FRIEDMAN AWARD Inklings is underwritten in part by an endowment to Ransom Everglades in memory of Sheila Natasha Simrod Friedman, a noted artist, poet, photographer, performance artist, and fashion designer. The mother of Natasha ’92 and Chloe ’95, Mrs. Friedman died on February 11, 1993. At her memorial service, Mr. Dan Leslie Bowden said, “Sheila was at once both poet and poem… she was a luminous, energetic star in whose presence smaller lights were not dimmed, but made to shine brighter.” The Miami Herald referred to her as a “walking piece of art.” Because creativity was so much of her spirit, friends chose to perpetuate that spirit and her memory through this endowment that will underwrite the long-term production of Inklings. In this way, we have an ongoing memorial to Mrs. Friedman’s imagination, ingenuity, and originality. The Sheila Natasha Simrod Friedman Award for Creativity in the Arts is given to a student who demonstrates outstanding achievement in writing and studio art, drama, or music. The recipient is chosen by the Fine Arts and English Departments. The Sheila Natasha Simrod Friedman Award is presented to Paloma Lopes ’25. – Ransom Everglades Humanities and Arts Departments