I met Peg as Professor Griffin at University of California, San Diego, in 1983 or so, when I was enrolled in her and Michael Cole’s class in Communication. The class involved doing tutoring and community service with low-income household students who were given access to specialized computers and educational games, and were able to consult with a fictional online “wizard” to accomplish their learning goals. Often, that wizard was Peg. Through that experience, Peg provided me with multi-layered insights into what it means to:
- Help people who are challenged by their socioeconomic status;
- Learn while having fun and connecting;
- Communicate in different cultural environments.
It is only in retrospect that I can explain very very briefly what Peg taught me, because in the moments when I was in her presence, what actually happened was her exuberance, her creativity, her acute knowledge, and her perseverance. She was a tremendous, wonderful force of human nature. Her vital spirit lives on, and on, and on.
Thank you, Peg.
JoEllen Fisherkeller, February 2022
