Good Morning, I am Ellie Marquez.

Sandy and I taught together in the history division of Oak Park and River Forest High School for nearly 20 years.  Our “credibility” with the mostly male department took some time to develop, but when Sandy and I retired in 2003, her psychology classes were the # 1 draw in history and women teachers predominated.  Sandy developed the AP psych program, and hundreds of students over the years were greeted with her enthusiasm, her smile, and the interest she showed in each one. Sandy’s psych classes were electives and they filled up quickly.

Every fall, she would welcome her students in all five classes by name as they walked in the door having taken the time to study her class roster and match names to faces from the yearbook. Imagine how special you felt (and how respectful you immediately became) when your teacher already knew your name?  At the end of the year, she asked her seniors to write a “thank you” to a favorite teacher. Imagine, again, how good you felt as a teacher, to receive one of those letters!

Sandy was generous in sharing internet sites, lesson plans, and all manner of teaching aids. I remember one fall becoming the recipient of boxes of files of her mother-in-law’s American History lesson plans. Sandy saved everything. Can you imagine how hard it was for Sandy to clean out her room when she retired? She was a teacher who never stopped teaching! As Tom Ferguson pointed out, “She came to school early and stayed late.” That is the kind of teacher Sandy was.

Sandy, your students will miss you as will your colleagues and your friends. This year, you continued teaching us, only this time it was about facing death with dignity. We love you.