Wednesday, January 6, 2016
From Mike Camera:
If you knew Peggy, you know that she wouldn’t want a maudlin service for herself. So I’d like to recount some of our more happy times.
I actually met Peggy through her cooking long before I ever met her in person. A mutual friend shared one of her Italian soups with me and, after tasting it, I told my friend to ask for her hand in marriage. Yes, it was that good.
When I finally met Peggy, the only word that could possibly describe her was “whirlwind.” She was in front of a class of students, explaining a scientific principle and talking to me at the same time. The students and I both had the same look on our faces- wonderment and confusion. Because when Peggy spoke, you had to pay very close attention. There was a ton of information coming at you at once, and you didn’t want to miss a bit of it. When Peggy was talking, you learned and you laughed. Her phone calls were the best. You’d pick up and before you could even say hello, she was halfway into the conversation.
Carol and Lou Giugliano and I once travelled with Peggy to Boston for two nights, staying in a nice hotel. She showed up with a suitcase and another very large bag- big enough to hold 2 week’s worth of clothes. We soon discovered that Peggy had brought her own fan on vacation. It was huge! We told her that the hotel was air conditioned, but she explained that no air conditioning could keep her cool enough to put on makeup. So she sat in an air conditioned room every morning with the fan blowing on her in typical Peggy fashion.
When I met Peggy, she wore her hair in a bun. Years later, she changed to a flip hairdo on one side of her head. This required a lot of hairspray to hold. One night, in a restaurant, Peggy went to the ladies’ room. She returned and said “I think we need to leave.” When I asked why, she explained that she had passed a waiter in a crowded hall. He had a pen behind his ear and, if you haven’t guessed already, Peggy’s flip caught the pen and it wound up in her hair!
There is no one who met Peggy who ever had a bad word to say about her. Brilliant, compassionate and hilarious are the words that come to mind. Peggy, you will be missed. Know that you were treasured by many. Rest in Peace.
Mike
