A woman ahead of her time Doris Aaronson has been a resident of West Milford for 30 years. But ask her where she was born and her reply is not only amusing, it’s thought provoking. Aaronson was born and raised in Washington, D.C., a federal district, not a state. As such, she does not possess a state birth certificate, a fact that has caused her grief when applying for driver’s licenses. It also may preclude her from running for president, she said with a laugh. The Pinecliff Lake resident fell in love with West Milford after a first-time ski trip to the area. She didn’t care for the skiing adventure so she hiked in the woods and instead found her Shangri-la. She was soon house hunting in West Milford, enamored with the township’s lakes and forested lands. While sizing up a house for sale in Pinecliff Lake a neighborhood resident, who was harvesting his cucumbers and tomatoes, gave Aaronson a bag of his produce. That friendly gesture sealed the deal as to where she wanted to call home. Aaronson, now a retired professor in the Cognitive Psychology and Neuroscience departments at New York University, has a lengthy educational background. She studied at the University of Maryland, Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Harvard University. She has degrees in mathematics, engineering, education, mathematical and physiological psychology and cognitive science. Looking back at her early school years, the 71-year old recalled her special interests in science projects, animals, bugs and butterflies. On a high school vocational test she scored highest for a future career as a forest ranger - a job not open to women in those days. It was the first of many times she would hit that wall. While still in college Aaronson answered a want ad in the Washington Post for a research position with a military contract firm. She responded simply as “Aaronson,” scored highest and was hired. They were surprised when she showed up for work the first day - a woman. After she completed her studies at Columbia she landed a job with the United States Navy doing research and soon her interests began to turn to cognitive science. Computers were new then and her unit was working on the guidance system for the Polaris submarine. They worked with man and machine and their interaction proved to be of more interest to her than just proving theorems. As they worked through the difficulties of piloting the Polaris Aaronson had the opportunity to drive a simulated submarine - although not without many mishaps. “The sailors gave me an award - The Honorary Order of the Re-set Button,” she said. When it came time for the Polaris to take a test run Aaronson was not on board as women were banned from the excursion. Over the years, through all of her successes, she recognized that she was a woman involved in fields more typical to men. “It was a necessary set of experiences I had to live with to go on in science and math - it’s what you meet at every corner,” she said. Aaronson wound up devoting 41 years to teaching, but her true love is research. Although she retired in 2009, she continues to work at NYU on a voluntary basis. At the moment she is working on music cognition. On the home front, Aaronson has been a township volunteer since 1982, dedicating her time mostly to environmental issues. Her childhood interests re-emerged and the town she so enjoys has benefited. “It’s the environment of it - the woods, water, wetlands and wildlife. It’s why I moved here,” she said. Among other endeavors, she was chairperson of the well study committee. She wrote a $90,000 grant for the township that put recess storm drains around Belcher’s Creek to reduce pollution and she is an environmental trustee of Pinecliff Lake. She has a long list of accomplishments. In her spare time she enjoys hiking and swimming. She is quite musically inclined, playing the accordion, piano, saxophone, guitar and recorder. “I also write letters to the editor,” she said, and laughed. While not much into cooking her deviled eggs are in demand and she submitted her recipe. Doris’ Deviled Eggs 12 eggs 5 oz. finely chopped green Spanish olives with pimentos 24 slices of olives/pimentos for decoration Approximately 5 oz. mayonnaise Paprika Olive substitutes: chopped ham, bacon or celery To spice it up: add brown mustard, curry powder, garlic, horseradish, onion flakes, oregano or cayenne pepper Hard boil eggs and immerse in cold water until eggs are cold Remove shells, cut in half lengthwise Remove yolks, place in bowl, add chopped olives -or substitutes Add mayonnaise, little at a time, mashing yolks until mushy, not soupy Spoon yolk mixture into egg whites until overflowing Lightly sprinkle with paprika and top with olive slices - or ham, bacon or parsley leaf if substitutes were used. Refrigerate until serving