GRANTS, N.M. - CL Peterson is my friend.
Un fortunately she seems to be everybody else's friend too. That is, almost everybody. When I said to her, 'Everyone loves you,' she said, 'No, some people hate me.' To be frank, I have heard some critical remarks, but they haven't made a dent in my belief that she is worthy of every one of those endearing hugs she receives. I think that if you live a valued and assertive life you will probably receive some criticisms.
When we go out to eat, it's like dining with a celebrity. I am pretty much ignored while she's responding to the adored attention of a former student, adoration earned from nearly 40 years of teaching here. And these students are everywhere. They hug her as though she is the most incredible human being on earth, or at least their long-lost mother.
After they have left, she inevitably responds to me in kind, telling me how wonderful that former student is and how much she loves them. And though the two of them had been courteous enough to try to include me, they were not very good at it. Nor did I expect them to be. They had not seen each other – sometimes for decades – so, of course they had a lot to talk about and the right to enjoy their reunion.
I have not told her the following yet, but I am not going to lunch with her one more time! Though I am saying this with a smile, I mean it.
One time after lunch at the Asian, there was a group of about six older women at a nearby table. Before they left, they were standing in line to give CL a warm hug. I asked her, 'Are they your former students?' 'No,' she said, 'they are the mothers of former students.'
See what I mean?
When I told her I was going to write an article of appreciation about her for the Citizen, she said, no no no! However, when I said it would include publicity for one of her pet community projects, she relented.
She is now starting regular film showings in Grants at the NMSU library with the enthusiastic support of Nathan Franklin, the librarian there. When she was discussing with him the need for space, Nathan suggested the Special Collections room in the library where there is a large, built-in screen. CL was delighted and quickly arranged a meeting for film lovers to work out the details.
I am excited about this venue because I love film, and the drive to Albuquerque has become verboten as I've gotten older. The space in the library is much cozier and more conducive to enjoyment of a film than the art gallery where there were trains rattling by every few minutes. Many of these films are Academy Award winners.
CL is spending considerable time writing articles on publicizing each film, to be shown the second and fourth Friday of every month at 1:00, starting January 9. You can call 505 287 6638 for more information.
Some of you are probably familiar with the Guild Theater in Albuquerque which only shows quality movies. It will be sort of like having our own Guild in our little town of Grants. Although, thankfully, there will be some films we will show, such as Cleopatra, that would not be shown at the Guild, and I'm fine with that too.
That said, this is only one of the imaginative things she has done. She regularly gives treats to whole groups of people in our community whom she admires and for whom she is grateful. I think gratitude is one of her most admirable traits and she shows it in many ways, including writing dozens of letters to people expressing her appreciation. And I do mean dozens. I have never known anyone who writes so many letters.
A friend of mine said that her daughter's favorite teacher was CL. No surprise. When I asked CL about her teaching experiences, I was amazed by her openness and creativity as a teacsher, not to mention her love for her students. Which never ceases. There were times when she handled tricky situations with unusual finesse. And true to her North Dakota background, despite her kindness she was good at maintaining order in the classroom.
Before closing, I just remembered another admirable thing she did. She became aware of a foreign student, whom I will call Mai, not one of her own students, who was not well treated by her classmates and so did not want to eat in the cafeteria. CL invited her to eat lunch in her classroom and they became such good friends that they keep in touch to this day. CL has spent a number of weeks on vacation at Mai's now luxurious home in Florida. Mai has done very well in life and I can't help wondering how much of it is due to CL's compassion and encouragement, especially to someone at a vulnerable age when she was being painfully rejected by her classmates.
So, thank you, CL, not just for being a good friend and inspiration to me and to your students but for being an inspiration to our entire community. I am sure your name and your legacy will be remembered long after you are gone. But I don't want to think about after you are gone.