Winters-Toussaint.
Regina Winters-Toussaint, a great New Havener, passed away yesterday at Connecticut Hospice after a tragic bout with cancer.
As she transitioned out of this world, she was accompanied by family and loved ones, including her mother, who held her hand. During the last days of her struggle, Regina, who was only in her mid-40s, was supported by her husband and close friends.
I am so fortunate to be able to say that Regina was a dear friend whom I knew for most of my life. I first met her when we were both teenagers at Harvard. I think it is fair to say that Regina was one of Harvard’s top recruits – indeed, even The New York Times said so. She was raised in Brooklyn by her mother and excelled in her local public schools in Fort Greene.
She did so well that she was recruited by and attended the George School, an elite Quaker prep school in Pennsylvania complete with stunning campus, academic excellence, rolling fields, stables, old brick buildings and state of the art technology. Nothing at all like Fort Greene. This combination of intimately knowing the tough side of America and our nation’s opportunity was a big part of Regina.
An even bigger part was her capacity for goodness. You simply cannot find anyone who did not like or respect Regina. I think this was because of her capacity to see the humanity in everyone as well as her own decency, which was evident in every conversation you had with her. She challenged me often and at times made me question my own early judgements on people. This is not to say that Regina was pollyannaish. She proved again and again her ability to swim with sharks. But she was able to disarm almost everyone, including the sharks, because she had no hidden self or agenda. What you saw is what you got with Regina.
She was super smart, a tremendously loyal friend, and simply good. Regina was an architect – and a very good one – despite the fact that African- American women make up much less than 1 percent of architects in the U.S. A graduate of Yale’s architecture school, she built her own company from scratch and located it in the heart of Fair Haven. Her architecture is steeped in respect for the environment, and she worked to expand the green revolution to include buildings that served low income families. She left her mark on New Haven and will continue to do so.
Regina served as director of the Livable City Initiative and headed up New Haven’s Housing Authority when both needed credible, honest leadership trusted by the broadest range of New Haveners. She led the design for the new Q House and lived to see that vision fully funded. Regina was also one of the original LEAP counselors in the organization’s first summer in 1992. While a student at Yale she mentored a group of girls from the Westville Manor public housing development. If you want to see 1992 Regina talk about her LEAP girls you can see that at 2:50 of this video (above). Regina went on to work as a site coordinator and administrator at LEAP. Her moral strength and commitment to counselor rigor with children carry on in LEAP twenty-four years later.
Finally, if you knew Regina, then you know her faith was also a constant companion. She was very deeply connected to her church and extended church family. I lost a true friend this weekend. New Haven and the Hill lost a wonderful neighbor. But what we gained from her life is so large that even in my sadness, I am filled with joy. I am a better person because of Regina, as are so many other people. Last night my inbox filled with messages from around the country — all from people who expressed how much Regina meant to them. She made us better without judging us, by being a reflection of our better selves.
Henry Fernandez, the executive director of LEAP, lives in Fair Haven.
Note: The funeral for Regina Winters-Toussaint will take place Friday, with a wake at 10 a.m. and service from 11 a.m.-noon at Union Baptist Church, 805 Newfield Ave., Stamford.