Pond Farm in the summer of 1962 changed my life. I wasn't aware of it until about 10 year later. I was a rank beginner in clay, only a few semesters of hand-building, when my teacher, Ed Traynor, suggested I go work with Marguerite in the summer 1962. I was scared to death, my first time away from home and surrounded by people who had various degrees in ceramics who could throw on the wheel. This was rather intimidating I must say. I stuck it out for the summer, falling off the wheel less often as the days wore on. I met some great people; David Stewart, his wife and small kids at that time, Ray Gray, Marge McCormick, both Vickies, Richard and Vickie, and John Swiss Porter. Later I moved to Texas and tried to be a potter with John Swiss Porter, which is another chapter.

All summer Marguerite hovered over the students, I felt she only put up with my antics because I was so young. But she had a grand plan, subliminal at the most. Many years later that plan came around to me when I began to teach; to carry on this tradition of clay that had been around for thousands of years and to do it the best way you can.

We had drawing classes every Wednesday afternoon in the backyard. She would have us go into the woods and pick up a piece of wood, a leaf, a rock, bring it back and draw if for 3 or 4 hours. Then she would tell us to take the object we had selected to draw back and put it where we found it. Of course we put it exactly where we found it, knowing she would know if we just tossed it into the woods. What control, but what discipline that developed.

That summer seems like it was just last summer. What memories, what people I met and learned from; what a challenge. Thanks, Marguerite.