Helen taught Spanish at R. B. Worthy High School, now Northwood
High, until she retired and also made other trips during the summers.
Helen and several others from our group who taught in Virginia met
for a number of years to attend the Virginia Education Association
Conventions either in Richmond or occasionally at the Hotel Roanoke.
In Richmond, we stayed with Mrs. Lucille Kersey, another teacher and
member of our class. We have also gotten together at times to attend
plays at the Barter Theater. I have very fond memories of visits at her
home where on Sunday mornings, breakfast was country fried steak,
gravy and her mother's wonderful homemade biscuits that just melted
in your mouth! Oh, and of course, fresh brewed coffee!

The most recent visit with Helen was the first of August, when my
sister and I took my little great-niece Mattie to the Kids' Dig which
was Helen's treat for Mattie. The Kid's Dig is an event held in Helen's
home town of Saltville and enables young children to be archeologists
for the day. Helen was so wonderful, patient and understanding with
Mattie, and her little dog Thistle quickly became friends with Mattie.
Thistle must have recognized Mattie as a true lover of animals.

Okay, so you are probably wondering about the mountains, right?
Well, probably the first great mountain Helen faced was her battle with
rheumatoid arthitis as a young child but she has never let it get her
down. It never stopped her from finishing high school, going to college,
getting her master's degree from the University of Virginia with top
grades, and being a wonderful teacher and mentor to so many students
for many years. While she has some limitations, she is still very
independent and yes, she still scales her mountains. When we visited
last, she told us about giving her sister Eva a fit when she
learned that Helen had gotten in her big wheel chair and gone to the top
of the mountain where she lives and of all things - just to enjoy
the view from the top!!!!!!!!

Okay, Helen, I have saved the best til last!!!!!!!!!!!

Dear Helen,
You may not believe it, but I had the unique pleasure and surprise
to receive a telephone call from your inseparable pal, Marilyn Sink.
The additional joy was to learn much good news about you. Most of
all, your kindness, your endless care and devotion to Marilyn's family,
especially young Mattie. And I add, how could it be otherwise. Helen,
I remember you very vividly: your ever present smile, your sparkling
eyes and the gentility with which you always dealt with your classmates.

Now let me tell you a secret. The Armando you have classified as
the professor who appeared, in the class in which you were, and in
many others, to attempt to teach graduate students of Spanish, was
not real. He was an often transplanted, pruned, grafted, movable,
transportable chestnut tree. He was rooted in Anversa/Sulmona (Italy),
transplanted, when he was a few months old, in New York City.
Several years later he was taken back to Italian soil, moved for a
while to the soil of Spain, a place called: Soria fría, Soria pura,
Cabeza de Extremadura. Then, back to the USA he came, to be
cultivated and grown, so as to produce a variety of strange chestnuts,
which later, and for many years were offered to the temptation of
many students. And do you know what? Instead of depleting the tree,
the students contributed much fertilization so that the tree is now
very old, still strong, and with unforgetable healthy branches each
one of which bears the name of the student who grafted it onto the
trunk. You should know that the branch grafted by a certain charming,
winsome, rare personality named Helen is one of the strongest. It
was infused with a smile impossible to imitate and impossible to erase
because it bears the stamp of an instrument of love, love of neighbor
and fellow being.

For good old times's sake, I thought of having Marilyn transmit to you
what I have shared with the family and several former students. The hope
being that you would remember this former professor of yours who has now
joined the nonagenarian club, but still runs around annoying folks. He
will vicariously introduce you to a few members of his family and also
vicariously take you to tour parts of Italy with him and doña Laura.
Helen we send you un fuerte abrazo and our thanks for taking time to read
what we hope will not be boring.
¡Qué el Buen Dios siga bendiciéndote!
Un abrazo muy fuerte de Armando and Laura

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