PORT ST. LUCIE PEOPLE
when I was two and didn’t come back until I was five.”
When Laffont broke her left arm the third time, doctors
discovered that her humerus was hollow. An experimental
procedure using calf marrow failed, but in ground-breaking
surgery for that time, bone chips transplanted successfully into her PIERCE
from her mother’s hip were
arm.
Embroiled in custody drama, she and her sister bounced
around foster homes before their mother whisked them away
to live on an old barge in the south of France. “It was sinking,”
Laffont remembers. “Our job was to run home after
FORT
school and turn the bilge pumps on. We were like feral kids;
KIM GEORGINA LAFFONT
Age: 55
Lives in: St. Lucie County
Occupation: retired professor of
English, quilter
Family: husband, Julian; dog,
Boo Boo
Education: Advanced degrees
in business and English, certified
fundraiser, accredited in public relations, Florida Master
Naturalist, captain’s license
Hobby: writing (belongs to Use Your Words group in PSL),
traveling, “outdoorsy things”
Who inspires me: “Anita Prentice has been so supportive.
My mother is now 85, still cranking out oil paintings that
have shown in Miami, New York, LA.”
Something most people don’t know about me: “I’m not
outspoken about it, but I’m proud to have achieved 26 years
of sobriety from alcoholism. That’s huge in my life.”
we never really had parenting.”
American conscientious objectors from the Vietnam War
flocked to Europe on their way to Kathmandu, Nepal, and
sometimes crashed on their couch. “Young bearded backpackers
played marbles with us.” Unaccustomed to male
influence, the girls soaked up the attention.
Laffont’s education in France continued in Amsterdam and
back to London. “We never had a TV, just books. Then on
boats I had more books. Even now, having books around me
is a comfort.”
When Laffont’s mother married an American, the family >>
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Port St. Lucie Magazine 43
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FORT
PIERCE
Inspired by European mosaics and those of her good friend, Fort Pierce artist
Anita Prentice, Laffont cuts fabric into tiny pieces, fusing them together
to form unique tops for some of her quilts.
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