Gradeschool Memories

This semester has been an absolute killer. I'm afraid I haven't been a very entertaining partner. In an effort to be slightly more fun, I've been looking for plays for Steve and I to attend. Yesterday we went to "Murder Room" at the lyric. Two and a half hours of British farce was a bit tedious, but one of our (former) YSA ward members was in it, so that made it fun.

We had run a variety of (boring) errands such as shopping at Dillards closeout sale, picking up cheese, getting books at the library - so we arrived at the Lyric somewhat early. There were only two people in the theater, an indication that matinees at the Lyric are not well attended. Patron arrived slowly. Because we had all purchased our tickets online (with 'best ticket in the house' options), we were all clustered close together, even though we could have each had a whole row to ourselves.

I saw an elderly woman in sandalls (with no socks) and her younger partner(a daughter, it turns out) make their way to the seats next to me. I helped them read the seat numbers to locate their seats and hoped they didn't freeze in the chilly theater. The woman looked so familiar, so I asked who she was. Before she uttered the name "Zetta Peterson," I recognized her as the mother of my childhood friend, Lizette. I said, "You are Lizette's mother." She corrected my pronunciation "LEE-zette". None of us ever called her LEE-zette, but evidently her mother was not aware of our pronunciation. Lizette died ten years ago of breast cancer. Her obituary is below.

Lizette and I had been good friends in gradeschool, but never did anything together once our small school class was mixed with others in the valley at Logan Junior High.

I am the first to admit I have a terrible memory. While friends of mine can tell you what they ate at which restaurants on their honeymoon forty years ago, I vaguely remember we did go on a honeymoon. Others can give you a play by play of each pain during delivery. I'm lucky to remember whether it was morning or night when I delivered. If I didn't have a child as proof and a birthday we celebrate every year, even that memory would be dim.

Anyway, for someone having such a terrible memory as myself, I was amazed at the flood of memories that came back as I visited with Lizette's mother.

Peterson's had a huge, stately home on First North and First East, by the old library. It was a classic older home, like one you may expect to see on the set for Gone with the Wind. I have flashes of memories:

Being invited for Sunday dinner (they had chicken) and really not wanting to go. I didn't want to deal with the social expectations of eating with her family, nor having to eat food that was prepared differently than I was accustomed.

Sleepovers and having Lizette read me stories she had been writing.

Playing hide and go seek.

Doing the polka in their living room until we collapsed on the floor.

Walking to the library together. It was Lizette who introduced me to "Nancy Drew mysteries".

Trying on elegant clothes as dress-ups.

Having Lizette show me the "cooking wine" (gasp) her grandmother had in her apartment kitchen. So funny. We both thought having cooking wine was risque.

A carnival themed birthday party where each room was fortune telling or cards.

I remember watching her sister, Leita (the one accompanying her mother at the theater, ten years our senior), get ready for a dance at the college. Lizette told me Leita used a glue to keep her ears from flapping. [Really, why do I remember such things?]

I remember sitting out on the playground at recess having Lizette tell us stories. The group grew until there must have been twenty of us. The story ended with the heroine climbing a wall and looking over the other side. Lizette asked us what we thought she saw. We all gave our ideas. She said our thoughts about what we saw indicated our true beliefs about an after life. She never told us what was on the other side.

It was fun to visit. I told Mrs Peterson that I had such fond memories of her and her home. I told Leita that we had considered her to be the most elegant and exciting of big sisters. I could see I brightened their day, as they did mine.

Here is the picture of our fourth grade class. Lizette is the one with glasses on the top row. Can you find me? Steve got it right on the third try.

Obituary: Lizette Peterson-Homer Dr. Lizette Peterson-Homer, 51, of Columbia, Mo., unexpectedly passed away at University Hospital on Thursday, July 18, 2002. Lizette was born Feb. 24, 1951, in Cedar City, Utah, to Edwin L. and Zetta B. Peterson. She completed her bachelors degree summa cum laude at Utah State University in 1973. She went on to the University of Utah to earn her masters and doctoral degree in clinical psychology. She married Andrew Homer at her parents home in Logan on June 5, 1978. Following her clinical psychology internship at the Salt Lake City Veterans Administration Hospital in 1978, she took a position at the University of Missouri-Columbia where she spent her entire academic career. At the time of her death, she was the Byler Distinguished Professor and the Curators Professor of Psychological Sciences at the University of MissouriColumbia. Prof. Peterson-Homer led a distinguished career as a researcher, scholar, mentor and editor in the fields of clinical and health psychology and was internationally recognized as a leader and innovator in the field of pediatric and child clinical psychology. Her achievements were many and varied and included the award of Curators Professor, the highest professorial rank at the University of Missouri, the Distinguished Scientific Contribution Award from the Clinical Psychology Division of the American Psychological Association, the Society for Pediatric Psychology Significant Research Contribution Award, the Shannon Award from the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development and the Chancellors Award for Outstanding Research and Creativity in the Behavioral and Social Sciences.

She was named a Fellow of the American Psychological Association. She authored four books, 38 book chapters and 145 scientific journal articles and made landmark contributions to improving the quality of the lives of children. She served as the editor of two of the most influential journals in clinical psychology, the Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology and Behavior Therapy and was the founding editor of Cognitive and Behavioral Practice. She was also on the editorial boards of a dozen scholarly journals.

Lizette always described herself as a teacher. She was a highly sought after mentor who supervised 21 masters theses and 33 doctoral dissertations and a popular undergraduate instructor. Lizette loved the outdoors, the mountains and the ocean, hiking, swimming and snorkeling. She enjoyed gardening, cooking, reading mysteries and attending her childrens sporting and school events. Lizette had a strong and beautiful spirit. She cared passionately for her family and her profession. She is survived by her husband, Andrew and son, Geddes, both of Columbia; her daughter, Kestrel of Santa Cruz, Calif.; her mother, Zetta Peterson of Logan; sisters, Leita Peterson of Los Angeles, Calif., and Edwina Cross of Ashland, Ore.; and her brother, Edwin T. Peterson of Vernal, Utah.