Geraldine Ndure

Geraldine Carroll Walcott Ndure was born on June 26,1950 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was the daughter of Isabel Marshall and Joseph “Tiger” Walcott (previously Strong). The second youngest of 6 siblings, 3 of which survive her today, she grew up in a house full of children where there was always something exciting taking place. 

A self-proclaimed nerd, before nerdiness was a thing, she enjoyed learning and matriculated at Hallahan Girls Catholic High School in Philadelphia. With the guidance of family members, she decided to pursue a career in the Sciences, which became her passion at an early age. She went on to attend LaSalle College, where she majored in Computer Science, an emerging field of study then housed in the math department. After graduating from LaSalle, she went on to work at many companies including IBM for computing platforms, and NASA, where she contributed to missile reentry and rocket reentry protocol. She was a woman of vision, a leader, and always ahead of her time. 

She went by many names Geraldine, Ronnie, Geri, and of course Aunt Njoki, a testament to her pan-africanist leanings. That fierce pride in heritage would materialize in a marriage to a SeneGambian from the continent much to the surprise of her family. On a day many thought would never arrive, and despite her natural ability to express genuine acts of care for her close and extended family, sisters and brothers, cousins, nieces and nephews - she became mother of her own to two children later in life. Latir and Njilan Ndure survive her and carry her grace forward today. She invested in motherhood, literally and metaphorically, with seriousness, the results of which shine so wonderfully today. 

Geraldine Carroll Walcott Ndure took on life with incredible independence, gusto, good humoredness and the gift of foresight but her motivation was always a profound love of family.