Naoma Dreier Cahr

After graduating from A. B. Davis, I went on to SUNY Cortland to secure a B.S. in education.  I was then hired to teach in Spring Valley, New York, which I did for three years. While teaching, I attended Columbia University Teachers College and earned an M.A. in educational psychology.   In 1964, I married Michael Cahr, lived in Mount Vernon, and taught at Wilson School.  My husband went to work for Sun Chemical Corporation in New York City.  After three and one half years of teaching, his company moved us around the country to Portland, Oregon then back to Clifton, New Jersey and finally to Chicago, Illinois.  During the years of travel, I was involved in the world of art doing painting and sculpting, and after five years of marriage, gave birth to our son, Darren.  Michael spent ten and one-half years with Sun Chemical and was destined to move to Los Angeles when we both made the decision not to leave Chicago.   We loved the city, had our first home and a wonderful child.  Michael bought a business, which he ran for 8 years and sold to a conglomerate, then purchased another business which he ran for 4 years.  In 1976, a daughter, Michelle, was born.  We moved to a new home in Highland Park, Illinois in 1977 where we currently reside, and have a condo in downtown Chicago that we use on weekends.  During my child-rearing years, I did various marketing jobs out of my home selling Disney products and hand-made Cabbage Patch Doll clothes and even did a stint as a Welcome Wagon representative.

Our son, Darren, is an intellectual property attorney in Chicago and a partner in the firm of Drinker Biddle. He is 39 years old, has been married for ten years and has a seven year old son, Ian, our only grandchild.  Our daughter, after graduating from Colgate University with a degree in molecular biology, moved to New York City and went to work at the New York University Cancer Center. After three years, she decided to attend Mt. Sinai Medical School to earn a Masters Degree in Genetic Science.  She is now a Genetic Counselor at Mt. Sinai Hospital and is the Coordinator of Jewish Genetic Services for the hospital. She is now 31, single and in love with New York City. We try to get to New York often to spend time with our daughter and to enjoy New York theater.

My husband spent a decade as a venture capitalist then CEO of a company called Allscripts.  He continues to work as a director of several public companies.  He and I really enjoy living in the Chicago area.  We have many friends and devote our time to a number of charitable activities, our family and the many cultural attractions available in this great city, including the Architectural Foundation, the Chicago Symphony, the Art Institute and the vibrant theater scene. I have also been involved with a number of theatrical projects as a specialty make-up artist. My husband has also been able to enjoy his great passion for bike riding locally and internationally.

When I think about what A.B. Davis contributed to my life, I think primarily of the confidence it gave me to move forward and expand my horizons. It is hard for me to believe so much time has passed since graduating in 1957 but overall it has been a good life.