I, too, remember Ms. Esther Commander Marioneaux.

In my last two years in school as a junior and senior, I remember I had enough units to graduate from Price High School and, instead of using those last two years to better myself, I used French I and II as a clown-around time.

Ms. Marioneaux told me, “James, you will need this one day.”

Upon graduation, I went into the Marine Corps. Our first assignment of duty was on the troop carrier U.S.S. Lasalle, which was deployed to Europe to check in with our allied countries.

The first stop was in France, and just then Ms. Marioneaux jumped into my thoughts.

There I was, stuck and depending on someone else to interpret what was being said around me.

I will miss Ms. Marioneaux greatly, and I will always cherish the progressive wisdom she left with me — “don’t waste time.”

— James E. Neely

Salisbury