My first memories of this school are close to 35 years-old! So, if I stumble a bit, please forgive me. I was a student at Frances E. Willard from 1973 to 1979. My favorite teachers were (forgive me if I misspell their names) Mrs. Strickland, my kindergarten teacher; Mrs. Jarret, I think I had her for 1st and 2nd grade; and Mr. Cook, he was either my 4th or 5th grade teacher. Mr. Cook really inspired me to keep developing my passion for drawing.

If my memory serves me correctly, Mrs. Strickland, my kindergarten teacher, had beautiful white hair that reminded me of mid-summer clouds. The kind of clouds you only see at a picnic or a parade. Don't laugh! Her hair really looked that soft, and that white! I can't really remember what her face looked like, but the badly faded image in my mind, is one if kindness and warmth.

Mrs. Jarret was my 1st and 2nd grade teacher. I thought she was coolest white woman I had ever seen! Her hair was always cut short and she always wore pants. Her sleeves were usually neatly rolled up, exposing a sleek wristwatch and shiny bangles on the opposite arm, and her glasses were normally found on top her head... like a neatly placed tiara. Mrs. Jarret had a habit of making smart remarks like, "Have you flipped your sweet cookie?" A remark I repeated at home, to my mother, and almost got my sweet cookie spanked! I really liked Mrs. Jarret. In my young impressionable mind, she was the perfect mixture of elegance and toughness. Needless to say, when it came time to move on to another teacher... I wasn't too thrilled about it.

The first time I set foot in Mr. Cook's class room, I was immediately awestruck by the drawings displayed all over his walls. Most of the drawings were of my favorite superhero; Batman! When I learned that he had drawn the pictures himself, my excitement grew as I realized I was going to be taught by a teacher who shared my love of drawing, and most important; Batman! Everyday, in between my lessons, I would do my best to not only copy his drawings, but outdo them!