Society welcomes three new members

Three new members joined our Ethical Culture Society in a ceremony on Sunday, May 6: Christina Grant and her husband Rob Eigenbrod of Bergenfield and Lucy Lettis of Ramsey.

Christina Grant, a Midwest native, was born in Chicago but moved with her family to Milwaukee before 8th grade. Christina, whose parents both worked in the arts, studied theater at the University of Evansville, in Indiana, and earned a master’s degree in wig and make-up design at the North Carolina School of the Arts. She has worked for more than 20 Broadway shows, operas, Saturday Night Live and major movies. She recently finished her third season on the show, “Orange is the New Black.”

Although Christina was baptized Catholic, the traditional church was never fulfilling. She found the Ethical Culture Society by Googling “Humanist, Bergen County.” In this very distressing political climate, Christina says she feels a need to channel her anger into action. She feels that our Ethical Culture Society has like-minded people and she is eager to see how her family can be part of our community.

Rob Eigenbrod was born in Edison, but a year later his family moved to a suburb of Houston. Grow-ing up, he enjoyed making movies with friends, learned to play the piano and saxophone and was very active in theater and band.

He received his bachelor of fine arts degree in theater/television from Texas Christian University and his love of making movies flourished at college.

In 2000, while working toward his master’s of fine arts in acting at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, Rob accepted three roles at Creede Repertory Theater in Colorado. One role required him to wear a prosthetic eye, which had to be applied and removed during each show. Thankfully, the theater had hired a costume intern, Christina Grant, who knew something about make-up. They didn’t begin dating until four years later, in New York, and they were married in Milwaukee in 2009.

Rob works an office job full-time and he continues to work as a writer, director and voice-over artist. He has recorded multiple audiobooks in his home studio.

Raised “barely Methodist,” Rob eventually became very active in his family’s Presbyterian church. After a few false starts elsewhere, his wife Christina discovered the Ethical Culture Society. Having spent a few months attending as visitors, they feel inspired and educated by the weekly platforms and warmly welcomed by members here.

Lucy Lettis, who grew on on Long Island, studied literature in college before shifting gears and obtaining a master’s degree in Library and Information Sciences. She worked for several corporations, includ-ing Marsh & McLennan, where she was the first research professional to be named senior vice president.

In 2005, Lucy and husband Richard moved from Long Island to Ramsey, where Lucy was her chronically ill husband’s caregiver until his death in 2017, after 37 years of marriage.

Eager to build a social life after years of isolation typical of caregivers, Lucy joined the Bergen County Film Series, run by David Bland. Through that group, Lucy discovered that Ethical Culture, whose broadcasts she used to listen to on the radio decades earlier, had a society in Teaneck. She said she was particularly taken by the members here, who are “politically progressive, culturally and socially aware, intellectually stimulating and extremely welcoming and friendly.”