As I continue to advance in my senior years, I find I often reflect on my formative years and realize that I wish I had thanked a multitude of people who were important parts of my life. Most of these people have died, but whenever an opportunity presents itself, I like to reach back and extend gratitude to persons who helped to steer me on a proper path when I was headed in a wrong direction. Such an opportunity presented itself yesterday.
My seventh grade teacher (1961 & 1962) at Rochester's #8 School, Bessie Fleetwood (nicknamed Betty), died in 2017 at age 95. I was able to reach out to her surviving family members yesterday and expressed how Mrs. Fleetwood was instrumental in helping me to become a better focused person. She was admittedly strict, but looking back, I must say that her discipline was well placed.
Betty Fleetwood (maiden name Plummer) had a very distinguished life. She served with distinction in World War II, and then went on to earn her college and graduate school degrees, becoming an elementary school teacher. Much of her career was spent in Rochester, New York and the New York State Department of Education, and upon retiring, she lived many of her years in Kennebunkport, Maine, and Jacksonville Florida where she died. She was very active in veteran organizations, especially during her time in Kennebunkport.
As I write this tribute, I realize I have to thank Betty Fleetwood for my writing skills, which were rather dismal before she worked with me on grammar, spelling and diagramming sentences. I was certainly a handful for some of my elementary school teachers, but am grateful that Betty Fleetwood took the time to set me on a better path.
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