To meet KC is to understand that despite her complex and accomplished life, she’s most interested in other people and the world around her.
KC Hyland grew up in Newton, Massachusetts, the oldest of six children. Early memories of this full, childhood home evoke a Von Trapp-esque quality: KC’s mother, she shared, often sewed their clothes, and they abided by a rather disciplined “no TV” policy, which likely began KC’s love of literature. Flashforward to her college years, and it’s little wonder why KC enrolled in Wheaton College as an English major.
After moving to New York City, KC spent many years as an English teacher and, later, Director of Admissions for such prestigious city schools as Spence and Buckley. But storybooks weren’t the only means for adventure and exploration in KC’s life: KC loves to travel and took frequent trips to Rome with her late ex-husband Jack Hyland, the Chairman Emeritus of the American Academy in Rome. KC and Jack’s daughter Liza – the eldest of their three children – recalls their adventurous early years as a family living abroad in Paris and London before resettling in New York.
KC and Jack separated in the early 1990s, but they maintained a close friendship and neighborship, when Jack also crossed the park and joined KC as an Upper West Sider! They gracefully transitioned into their new relationship with the city and with each other.
It was only after Jack’s passing in 2017 that KC’s children began to notice their mother’s increasing care needs, despite her wildly independent spirit. For a time, KC’s children cared for her themselves: her son Jonathan moved into the UWS apartment for a year but relocated to the Hudson Valley, so the Hyland family built a new plan together. KC’s daughter Liza reflected on the transition to Duet in 2019, “[it was the] best thing we ever did.”
They knew that a creative, thoughtful, and non-intrusive partner would suit KC best. But only after a handful of in-person meetings was KC able to discover and narrow down her preferences, thus honing the matchmaking process and ensuring every care pairing was intentional and unique to her.
KC and Michael are kindred spirits, both having dedicated their lives to academic work.
Michael speaks fondly of his years as a traveling guest lecturer on kinetic and interactive art and on alternative photography. Additionally, he is an archivist, researcher, and bibliographer who has developed projects for the New York Foundation for the Arts, the National Arts Club, and the Arts Institute of Chicago, amongst many others. Now, Michael splits his time between the city and the Hudson Valley, where he is renovating a ski chalet.
They both exude a reverence for intentional design and respecting one’s space. It comes as no surprise, then, how they both enjoy KC’s Upper West Side home, a space replete with books, plants, and a baby grand piano ready to swell the home with music.
To meet KC is to understand that despite her complex and accomplished life, she’s most interested in other people and the world around her. In one large loop of the park, KC and Michael might encounter everything from group yoga classes to children’s soccer games, loud teens (on which they might enjoy the occasional eavesdrop), or a sweet, leashless dog, whom they’ll ensure isn’t lost.
On a recent stroll, Michael and KC laughed at a precocious toddler in a pair of ruby slippers straight out of The Wizard of Oz. Their delight communicated more than just a shared moment but perhaps a shared mantra, Dorothy’s mantra: there’s no place like home.
