Like all Philadelphians I have many memories of my "growing up" years in Philadelphia, not all happy. I spent many hours in Mrs. Barnhill's backyard, often playing with Mabel (Thompson) Alexander. One of those times resulted in an unpleasant and unforgetable memory. There was a restaurant on the corner of the Barnhill lot. Two men had started fighting and came outside and fought on until, one had killed the other. Mabel and I watched to the bloody end and such an incident does not leave a young person's memory. My mother, Mrs. Etta miller, taught school at Philadelphia for several years and had the misfortune of having me in her room. In an English class on a certain day she made a grammatical error and I in my "smarty" way corrected her. Immediately I wanted to remove my tongue. Later at home I expected to "catch" it and when I didn't I apologized. My mother then and there taught me a valued lesson, "Don't ever apologize if you know that you are right." Many of you also have memories of my mother as your teacher.

Peggy Miller Lacy