Ruth and I were tied at the hip for the 3 years in the late 60's when I was the director of the 5th City Preschool and she was my right and left hand. She and I climbed many mountains together -- attending a national preschool workshop because the curriculum received a National 1st place award from the Office of Economic Opportunity (OEO), receiving teaching machines from IBM for the 4 year olds which got our picture in the newspaper because of the audacity of believing machines could teach, making really cool uniforms for all the teachers, designing the new preschool building on 5th Avenue with Sheldon Hill --- the list goes on and on. Yet there were also many valleys where Ruth never flinched, never complained. She stood firm in her belief that the 5th City Preschool was a demonstration to the world of the importance of providing all children from 4 months on up with a positive self-image. In turn, Ruth Carter, became my mentor, my symbol, of the Iron Woman standing in the desert with arms out stretched knowing that the desert could become the promised land. And it did because she lived --- and still does in the lives of all she touched. Lela Jahn