It was in 1984, Mrs. Chisholm was the keynote speaker for the Natinoal Laubach Literacy Action Conference in Seattle, WA. I had gone sightseeing with a friend whose influence on me was not a good thing. We were late getting to the Conference site. All of the seats in the rear and middle were taken and so we had to walk brazenly through the entire room to the only seats vacant on the very first row.

In the ballroom sitting on the first row of seats was this quiet and petite black woman. I was so intent on cutting my boss’ view of me that I sat down immediately and tried to look wrapped up in the program. Mrs. Chisholm kindly turned to me with her hand outstretched and said, “Hello, my name is Shirley Chisholm how are you?” I ashamedly stammered my name to your and said that I delighted to meet her. She got up and gave the keynote address. It was an address that was visionary because what she implored us to do was and still is actually being done in the adult literacy field.

Here was one of my heroes that I got a chance to meet totally by accident who was even more impressive in person. She would have made a fine President of the United States of America!