62-63 Joan Ruark

63-64 Mrs. Maguire

2005 Mrs. Maguire

One of the highlights of the 40 year reunion was the appearance of Mrs. Joan (Ruark) Maguire at the no-host cocktail party. This is a special event for me as I have been telling a story about her as a student teacher for years. She has been telling the same story for the same amount of time. Let's take the Way-back  machine to my sophomore year at Reno High School in Health class. We had the privilege of having a student teacher for six weeks. She was a University of Nevada student, Miss Joan Ruark. By today's standards she was Hot,  by the 1962 vernacular she was Bitchin' ! And, now to the event.

Please remember, my job as a student was to challenge teachers with questions and/or antics they couldn't handle. A student teacher was fresh, vulnerable material that couldn't be passed up. Miss Ruark presented us with a lesson informing us of the trace elements in our body, in particular, Copper. The way Copper entered our body was by the use of Copper vessels used in the milk industry. She stated that trace amounts of Copper were carried with the milk we drank. Of course, that statement perked me up. I raised my hand, we did that in those days, and expressed my skepticism that Copper or any element used by the body would enter in that way. The coupe de gras  was me stating, "I suppose I can go chew on nails to get more Iron?" Miss Maguire dutifully said she would check into the Copper question and get back to us. She returned to inform us that, that was the way Copper got into our bodies. Of course, I remained skeptical, in fact, to this day.

I was to learn at the cocktail party that this has remained a memorable experience for Mrs. Maguire, too.

Thank you, Mrs. Maguire for making my day / life.