Chesley Helen Adler ’89
Chesley Helen Adler ’89 passed away on September 21, 2018. A native of New Orleans, Chesley attended Isidore Newman School for 13 years. At Dartmouth Chesley majored in philosophy, was a member of the Dartmouth Outing Club and Casque & Gauntlet, and was involved in the Women’s Issues League and student workshops. After graduation Chesley remained in Hanover to work as a teacher’s assistant. In the early 1990s she moved back to New Orleans to work in her family’s retail jewelry business, Adler’s, before starting her own handmade designer jewelry line. As an alumna, Chesley was very involved in the Dartmouth Club of the Gulf Coast. Classmates remember Chesley as “creative and graceful and a quiet force.” One said, “She was and will forever be someone whose spirit, creativity, humor, passion, and friendship inspired and shaped me.” Another ’89 remarked, Chesley “brought fun and joy, and most importantly grace and a much-needed different perspective. Her Southern feminism and brilliance touched us all. I am forever grateful to have learned from and grown with her. Dartmouth ’89s have lost a unique and beautiful sister.” Donations in Chesley’s memory may be made to Arts Council New Orleans, 1307 Oretha Castle Haley, Suite 100, New Orleans, LA 70113.
