A dear childhood friend and classmate of mine shared the news of Carole’s passing this morning. I’m heartbroken. Susannah and I were both part of Carole’s very special Valley View Public School ‘Enrichment Program’ from 1979-83. To say that Carole poured her heart and soul into us kids would truly be an understatement. The experiences she provided to us, from our ‘Time Capsule’ endeavour to our televised documentary on the groundbreaking of Science North...the lessons she tought us about thinking big and going or it, going beyond our comfort zone, and the rewards of commitment to a job well done... I feel blessed for her influence on my life. But Carole was more than a teacher to me. Though we met when I was only a child of ten, she had this way of making me feel like I wasn’t just a kid to her; that my thoughts and ideas and opinions had value. That I mattered. Looking back now, I think she recognized herself a little bit in me; kindred spirits she would say, which is humbling because , from my vantage, Carole was larger than life and I knew then as I still know today that she was as special as they come. As years passed, as I’m sure she did with quite a few of her students, Carole and I kept in touch.. I hope she knew what that meant to me that she considered me a person worth keeping in her life. When we would meet up, on occasion, I loved to listen to her as she spoke, with her characteristic enthusiasm, about her latest projects and undertakings. She approached everything that was important to her with such passionate energy, and she had a way of pulling you into her excitement with her trademark smile and warmth. I know I am not alone whe I say how much I will miss Carole, because she was one of those people who made a difference in so many people’s lives. However I know that her influence will continue to have an effect on my live. As I have done so many times in my life when I have tough choices to make or risks to consider taking, I will continue to ask myself, ‘what would Carole have done?’, orr ‘would Carole be proud of me for doing this? And so in that way I take comfort in knowing that she is stil with me.. To Carole’s family, please accept my deepest condolences. I hope you take comfort from learning yet one more story of how Carole impacted someone’s life. She was a great lady. One-of-a-kind. And my heart hurts for you. For all of us so lucky to have had her in our lives. Tammy Gillard, Calgary, AB