Lauralton Hall recently welcomed back a very special visitor, Gail Charter Negaard, a former student from the 1940s who traveled from Richmond, Virginia, with her son and daughter-in-law. Though she later moved to Florida, her roots are deeply connected to Lauralton and to Milford.

Born just across the street on Golden Hill, she began her Lauralton journey as a day student in third grade. Each morning, she walked

to school with her classmates, often cutting through the yard near the barn. She recalls fondly the simple joy of playing on the school’s carousel—then just a spinning ride without benches—and the kindness of her teachers, especially Sister Mary Rose.

Among her most vivid memories is the extraordinary moment of sitting at the bottom of Lauralton’s spiral staircase in 1941, listening as the world-famous Von Trapp family performed for the students while staying at the school during their travels.

Her family was well known in Milford: they owned Gladys E. Lakes Dress Shop, a popular dressmaking business, and she was related to Simon Lake, the inventor of the “Argonaut,” the first submarine to operate extensively in the open sea. She was also connected to the Pond family, the original owners of the Mansion—her family even transformed the garage of one of the Pond homes at Gulf Point into a beloved family residence.

During her visit, she shared these treasured memories while touring the Mansion, delighting in the opportunity to revisit such a formative and joyful time in her life. Like so many of our alumnae, she expressed how wonderful it was to “come back home” to Lauralton Hall.