Person's Name: Gloria Wohlschlaeger
Person's Email: gloriaw@webtv.net
Person's Story: Person's Story: In 1965 my daughter attended Sausalito Nursery School. Their program included a Terwilliger field trip every Friday to participate in a morning of communicating with nature. We called it "Terwilligering" and I was fortunate to be the driver for many of these outings. The wildlife specimens were stored in her freezer in those days and a special visit to her home found her spreading peanut butter on her deck railing to attract the neighboring creatures. This activity continued for me when my son became a student at the same school. We fondly recall the arm gestures, the sounds of the birds and the taste of the grasses. I was most pleased to watch on national television as Elizabeth encouraged then President Ronald Reagan "Mr. President, give me a V (outspread arms) for vulture. I must admit I totally expected that she would do this. Now, I find myself in regular contact with Mrs. T. at The Redwoods Retirement Community as she is my mother's neighbor, sharing a patio, as well as my mother's meal partner. She never ceases to smile, as she reminds us to take a moment to observe our surroundings.

Person's Name: L.Brown and Room 18 Kids
Person's Email: lbrown@marin K12.ca.us
Person's Story: April 29, 1999 Little did we know as our fourth grade class walked into the WildCare facility on Earth Day last week that we would be coming face to face with Marin’s own living legend, Mrs.Terwilliger. Sitting in the shade of an oak, surrounded by well-wishers, she looked just the same; even the straw hat on her head looked familiar. We said hello and congratulated her on her 90th birthday. Next thing we knew, she was teaching us as she had countless other school children. "Hold up two fingers," she started, and after a few more directions, we knew how to identify poison oak and the different hoots and caws of bird life. We are thrilled that our fieldtrip to Wildcare was even more special than we had expected. We appreciate the people at Wildcare who nurse injured animals and instruct students about wildlife and ecology, and we appreciate Mrs.Terwilliger for being who she is and all that she stands for. We hope to see you again, Mrs.T., on your 100th birthday! P.S. We hope you enjoy our poems about what we saw at Wildcare and other pieces about the natural world. MRS. LOLA BROWN & the Kids

Person's Name: Todd Evans
Person's Email: ogytork@uberdub.com
Person's Story: I was reading my email today and on one of the list's I'm on I saw someone who's last name was Terwilliger. An lump swelled up in my throat by the association of that name. We used to watch the Tripping with Terwilliger movies in grammar school and I'm still amazed by their lasting impression. To this day whenever I see a vulture I raise my arms in the air and yell out "V for Vulture!" I was lucky enough to have also gone on a field trip with this wonderful woman. I was completely captivated by her presence. For not only was she like a movie star to me but also an embodiment of all that is good in this world. Her kindness, her fiestyness, the way she openly and lovingly shares herself and her knowledge. It occurred to me today that this woman was my ultimate roll model when growing up. Whenever I’m out camping or anyplace in nature I feel a breath of warmth and love flown through me. I think a lot of those feelings stem from my experiences with this remarkable woman who showed me wonderful and glorious things about this planet we live on. If Mrs. Terwilliger is still alive, please send her my heartfelt thanks and love. Sincerely, Todd Evans

Person's Name: Barbara
Person's Email:
Person's Story: Thank you Mrs. Terwilliger for all the times you focused my eyes and ears on nature -always there for us to enjoy. It was a glorious day full of sights and sounds of nature and my family. As I write I continue to bask in the spirit and warmth of that day. I am recording this day for my own purpose and would like to share it with you. The plans were simple and the location just over the hill at Stinson Beach. Larry, Lori, Sergeja (Robie via phone) would enjoy a most pleasant afternoon. Early that morning I packed the back of my Audi with wet suits and two boogy boards. By noon my manicure/pedicure was complete and now I could delight in the floral design displayed on each big toe. On my way home from San Rafael I pulled off at the local surf shop in Tam Junction and looked around. I paid for a pair of fins and two more rental boards. Only three hours later I met Sergeja in front of her downtown office holding a bouquet of flowers surrounding a centerpiece featuring my favorite butterscotch lollipops. We pulled into the carport right before Lori arrived and quickly transferred all our articles to Larry’s SUV. So our day began Wednesday, August 30th in the late afternoon. We headed along Coastal HW 1 opting for the inland route to Stinson. We were kicking and paddling beyond the breakers by 5 p.m. There we were - floating on our boards waiting for the perfect wave. There were mini waves, double waves, and larger waves. Sometimes a wave would carry me all the way to shore; other times I would wait and wait and after making an effort to catch the wave it would pass under me. As time went on it took more effort to return to sea as one wave after another would build then break before I had time to pass over it. There were times I hardly moved forward. But, with our black shiny wet suits and Larry’s head covered by his black head cap and bobbing in the ocean we all must have looked like four penguins having a lot of fun. Lori had already scheduled dinner reservations at The Sand Dollar Restaurant. We knew we would be fed after this exciting adventure. We spent about one hour riding the waves allowing time to shower, change and take a short drive to Bolinas. On the way we saw over 200 pelicans either resting, flying or diving for salmon. Several great white egrets dressed the lagoon and the sun cast a glow upon the brackish water creating dashes of steel blue grey on the seascape. As we drove into town the sun was setting and few people were around. A local bar with a shark bitten boogy board sign caught the corner of our eyes as we passed. We parked and Lori, Sergeja and I walked down to the waters edge while Larry read the newspaper’s headline “$50 million in pot plants seized” – from an illegal plot on Bolinas Ridge from Kent Lake to HW 1 to the Olema Valley. On our way back to Stinson we viewed a helicopter flying overhead possibly searching for the growers that escaped leaving only “steaming hot scrambled eggs on their dishes” for the park rangers and police to find. We arrived at the Sand Dollar in plenty of time to sit at the bar, enjoy a drink and watch “Nick” the bartender prepare his special bloody mary mix before our table became available. We were seated at a corner booth and looked around at their nautical theme with seascape paintings, boat models and a spray of sand dollars high overhead. I gave the menu some thought and was delighted with the variety of choices. I settled on ciopinno and oysters on the half shell. I was not disappointed. The Sand Dollar’s ciopinno was just perfect. The scallops, clams, shrimp, muscles were fresh and displayed in a light broth with just the right amount of tomato, seasoning, parsley and temperature to not hide the shape, color and taste of the fish. Augie prepared scalloped side dishes with sauces that only he can create. We ate every morsel. The evening ended with Chefs Augie & Yuri, & servers, my family and restaurant clients raising their voices in chorus and singing “Happy Birthday to You”. Thank you Mrs. T! And a very happy 97th birthday to you on September 13th! Love, Barbara Holland Elam

Person's Name: Olivia Vos
Person's Email: surrealswirls@hotmail.com
Person's Story: Mrs. T was already a legend when I was a kid in the early 90s. She took my kindergarten class under the Golden Gate bridge to teach us about sea lions. She told us that the red speckles on all the rocks was paint chips from the Bridge, and that the iron in the paint was harming the ecosystem under the Bridge. That was my first wake up call in environmentalism. I remember thinking at the time that Mrs. Terwilliger was made out of magic. My first school was right next door to the Terwilliger Center, in Corte Madera. I believe they have moved since then, but my little brother and I would wander in there to look at all the stuffed animals after school. I would try to memorize all their names. We would sit in front of this enormous stuffed bear and just stare at it in awe.