[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 60 (Friday, March 31, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E751-E752]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                        TRIBUTE TO WILLIAM PETERS

                                 ______


                        HON. JOHN JOSEPH MOAKLEY

                            of massachusetts

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 30, 1995
  Mr. MOAKLEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to honor William Peters, a 
remarkable man who has dedicated almost 30 years of his life to the 
teaching of young people in the city of Boston.
  On June 26, 1994, Mr. Peters was involved in a boating accident on 
Long Pond in Plymouth, which sadly left him with a severe head injury 
and other trauma. His friends, students, and staff from the Blackstone 
Elementary School in Boston, MA, have kept a silent vigil throughout 
the summer and into the fall. Progress has been slow and halting at 
best. This has been a genuinely heart-breaking course of events for Mr. 
Peters, his family, and all those who are close to him.
  According to his colleagues and his students, Mr. Peters is one of 
the truly outstanding people in the teaching profession. Mr. Peters 
teaches fifth grade. To an impressionable 11-year-old, he is the kind 
of teacher that a young person is likely to remember as one who made a 
significant impact on his or her life. An unusual combination of 
booming authority, gentle grace, and street savvy, Mr. Peters has left 
his indelible mark on many students.
  To the staff at the Blackstone, particularly the inexperienced and 
anxious newcomers to teaching, Mr. Peters has been a wealth of 
experience and a benchmark of excellence. For his friends and 
colleagues and many others he has come to epitomize what a good teacher 
is, a person of intelligence, gentle spirit, and refreshing humor who 
has made a lasting and deep mark on their lives.
  Mr. Peters, by his hard work and presence has made the educational 
process at the Blackstone Elementary richer in a most substantial way. 
Mr. Peters was responsible for the coordination of the Blackstone 
Choir, organized the fifth grade graduation, composed and performed 
music at school functions, ran after-school computer activities in 
conjunction with the juvenile court, and helped coordinate the DARE 
Program at the Blackstone. Mr. Peters has also taken the time to give 
back to his profession by hosting many student teachers in his years of 
service and I am certain that they benefited greatly from his 
leadership and example. Mr. Peters' classes have consistently tested 
among the highest in the school, year in and year out. In celebration 
of his dedication and skill, Mr. Peters was presented a Golden Apple 
Award for teaching excellence in 1992 from the City-Wide Education 
Coalition of Boston. Mr. Peters has also worked for many years at the 
South Boston Boys Club. He remains in contact with many of his former 
students.
  Mr. Peters was a Golden Glove Boxer, who fought under the name of 
Henry Strickland, because his father would not permit him to box, was 
scouted by the Detroit Tigers and is an avid fisherman who has fished 
both fresh and salt water.
  Mr. Peters and his wife, the former Alice Parker of Watertown, MA, 
have been blessed with six children, Susan, Kelly, Billy, Greg, Julie, 
and Clifford.
  [[Page E752]] In this time when teachers are seldom given their 
proper respect and recognition, it is my honor and privilege to take 
time to speak from the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives to 
honor Mr. William Peters, a fifth grade teacher at the Blackstone 
Elementary School in Boston, MA. His dedication to his students must be 
recognized and held out as an example for others to follow.
  Mr. Peters, you are in the thoughts and prayers of your many friends 
and colleagues and I am proud to join with them in wishing you a speedy 
recovery.
  In closing, I am reminded of a quote, I believe it goes like this:

       A Teacher affects eternity, for it is never known when 
     their influence ends . . .
     

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