A Tale of Two Friends
Ewi (Hélène Marie) MONTGOMERY Shafran ’85 remembers it well—the moment of clarity, the moment that changed everything. But if truth be told, it didn’t start off as a great day.
As part of the final assignment for Robin Newham’s AP art history class, Ewi found herself at Carnegie Museum of Art, sitting in front of a Franz Kline Abstract Expressionist canvas and “crying inside.”
The events of that fateful day didn’t just happen by chance (except maybe for the crying); Robin had a plan. It seems that earlier in the school year, Ewi had declared, as only an 11th grader can, that she thought contemporary art was “stupid and useless.” Robin (now Head of School) wanted to challenge her student to see beyond those preconceived notions.
So, there Ewi sat ... and sat, until finally she started to think, not only about the painting but also about what compels artists to create. Then it happened, the proverbial “aha moment” when she knew art history was going to be a force in her life and her work. To this day, Ewi remembers the power of that realization.
She hasn’t looked back since. (By the way, “Ewi,” pronounced “A-We,” is a family nickname for Hélène Marie).
Ewi went on to earn her bachelor’s degree in art history and French from Connecticut College and then considered law, at least in terms of how it pertained to protecting artists’ rights and copyright infringement. However, that idea was abandoned after spending a summer interning at a law firm.
Instead, she decided to move to Manhattan to pursue her first love: immersing herself in extraordinary art and objects. Her efforts paid off when she got in the door at Sotheby’s. One of her first jobs with the international corporation was in its vintage car department. “I had to call my mother and ask her what a chassis was,” she recalls.
For the past two decades (and still counting) with Sotheby’s, Ewi has been enjoying a high-powered, globe-trotting career that has taken her from New York to Latin America to Spain, and most recently to England.
She and her husband, Jake, and their 7-year-old son, Harry, have called London home for the past eight years. Despite being in charge of Sotheby’s Global Preferred client division, Ewi insists she is taking things a little slower, working just three days a week in the office (although one of those days could be in Switzerland or some other country).
“We have planted our roots here,” she says. “Our life now revolves around our son’s school. We feel regenerated at having such a young son at our age.”
The one aspect of her life, however, that’s showing no signs of slowing down is her connection to fellow Ellis alumna Darcy FRANK Mackay ’85.
“I don’t remember the first time we met,” Darcy says, “but I do have this memory of Ewi sitting in our morning French class, and Ewi is definitely not a morning person. While the rest of us were struggling, she would answer questions in fluent French. It was all very impressive.”
Just as impressive is the fact that these two women have sustained their friendship over decades, time zones, thriving careers, and family responsibilities.
“We lived in London at the same time,” Darcy says, “and our children are so close. We text constantly, and visit three or four times a year.”
And there’s one other thing that has endured: “I still struggle with very contemporary art,” Ewi says.
of Two Friends
Scheduled in half-hour increments, a typical workday for Darcy FRANK Mackay ’85 starts at 5 a.m. (Pacific time) and doesn’t slow down until the afternoon when Europe is getting ready for bed and the east coast is thinking about dinner.
As president of CBRE’s West Division, Global Corporate Services, Darcy enjoys the fast pace and constant barrage of challenges. “I don’t like to stagnate,” she says. “I’ve developed a comfort level with change.”
That’s not surprising given that over the past 16 years with CBRE, the international real estate services and investment company, Darcy has steadily risen through the ranks—taking on different job responsibilities and moving to different parts of the world.
She still travels extensively. “I could wake up in New York, London, Chicago, Hong Kong, or Mumbai,” she says. But nowadays, Darcy’s favorite place to be is home—Mill Valley, CA (just north of San Francisco)—with her family—husband, Keith Orlesky, and their two children, Katherine (7) and Calder (5 ½).
Having younger children at this point in her life and an exceptional career is something she shares with her friend and fellow Ellis alumna Ewi MONTGOMERY Shafran ’85. “We have always kept in touch,” Darcy says, “and now our children are going through the same transitions at the same time.”
One transition that Ewi is anticipating is a wedding between her son, Harry, and Darcy’s daughter, Katherine. Of course, since both kids are still in single digits (age wise) that may just be wishful thinking. In the meantime, the two families enjoy vacationing together.
Darcy and Ewi have made a concerted effort to stay in touch after leaving Ellis and Pittsburgh. Although they have lived in the same city (London) at the same time, they share a bond that has endured both years and distance.
“Darcy is a remarkable woman,” Ewi says, “very focused, very methodical. She was great at science and math, I was terrible. I think it’s those differences that have made our friendship work.”
After Ellis, Darcy graduated from Harvard University and then went to the University of California, Berkeley, where she received her master’s in public policy with an emphasis in real estate and land-use economics.
Earlier this year, The San Francisco Business Times named her to its 2015 list of the 100 Most Influential Women in Bay Area Business.
With such accolades come certain responsibilities. Darcy is well aware that her professional and personal achievements make her a role model, especially for young women
looking to find their way in the world. She’s up for the task.
Not only is she an advocate for her female colleagues at CBRE, she has some advice for the current generation of Ellis girls. Although she acknowledges that the world is a very different place from what it was when she was in school, the hardest part is still trying to find out who you are.
“Take advantage of all the resources available to you, including teachers and friends,” Darcy says. “Ask questions and go after what you want.
“Dream big.”
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