×
×
homepage logo
LOGIN
SUBSCRIBE

A special tribute

By Martha Thebodeau - Nashua | Dec 23, 2018

I recently read the obituary of one of my former seventh grade teachers. Marilyn Wolfe Matuza Viens and was deeply saddened, The strange this is that after all these years of not thinking about her , a couple days prior of seeing her obituary, she was on my mind, out of the blue. Needless to say, this startled me and confirmed that Miss Wolfe ( as I knew her) and I had a connection, stemming from 1960 when she was my teacher at Spring Street Junior High. My guess is she was 23 years old and that young age, she was a natural – both as a teacher and human being.

When I was 11 years old and about to be 12, I became a seventh grade student and remember that I was nervous because this was a big step, transitioning from 6 grades of elementary years to not only a new school, but one where my friends and I were going to be changing classrooms and we were going to be taught by several different teachers. One of those teachers was Miss Wolfe, who was probably fresh out of college and first- year educator.

Miss Wolfe was the best English teacher I had in my 6 years of junior high and high school. She was a tough teacher, but had the knack and instinct to make you feel comfortable while she was showing you the way. To this day, I am definitely not only a word person, but a tickler for grammar accuracy, thanks to Marilyn Wolfe. If she watched television, I’m certain she cringed when she heard so much incorrect grammar used in movies.

Back in those days, friends and I would actually visit Miss Wolfe at her apartment, which was off Lake Street. I have vague memories of her playing her guitar, and those visits were very special and meaningful. Miss Wolfe definitely had an impact on me and set the path for me.

The recent Telegraph article of Dec. 18 by Grace Peccie was a wonderful tribute to Marilyn, but it concentrated on the 37 years that she taught at the fairgrounds. I don’t know if she left the Nashua School System and then returned to the Fairgrounds, but I wanted to add this little piece of history that Marilyn taught in Nashua back in 1960.

Nashua lost a wonderful person and obviously after 58 years, she is still a part of my fondest memories.

Newsletter

Join thousands already receiving our daily newsletter.

Interests
Are you a paying subscriber to the newspaper? *