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1. Margaret "Peggy" Marie
GILES (photo) was born on 20 Jun 1941 in Omaha,
NE. She moved with her family to southern California at the age of 4 and grew
up attending public schools in Long Beach, CA. She married Gene Elton Furman
in 1958 and graduated from Banning Adult school and took frequent classes at
Compton Community College. She divorced Gene and moved with children, Richard
and Cheryl, to Chico in 1962. She attended Chico State College and worked at
Enloe Hospital as a receptionist and PBX operator. She married Keith Wheeler
in 1964 and their son Kent was born at Enloe Hospital. When Keith got his Masters
Degree and a job teaching at College of the Redwoods, they moved to Eureka in
1966 where their last son was born. Her main focus during this period was raising
the children and helping her husband. She was active in parent groups, "Faculty
Wives," volunteer work and helped establish Equinox Free School in Arcata,
CA, where she also volunteered. In addition to these activities, she took college
classes and was her husband's academic reader. During the early 70's the family
"dropped out" and homesteaded 20 mountain acres in south-eastern Humboldt
County. She was active raising her children (including home schooling), growing
a garden, caring for domestic and farm animals, preparing and preserving food,
spinning and weaving, and helping to build the family home and outbuildings.
She became an EMT and provided emergency medical aid to the neighbors on Buck
Mountain. She worked briefly at a lumber mill before taking a job as school
librarian for Van Duzen Elementary which she held for 12 years. In 1988, she
and Keith moved to Weaverville, where he worked as a counselor for County Mental
Health so she could return to Chico for her teaching credentials. Earning her
BA (with honors 1990) and 2 Professional Clear Teaching Credentials, one Multiple
Subject and one Single Subject (authorized for English and Social Science) in
three years, she returned to Southern Trinity School District in 1991, initially
as a teacher for the continuation high school and eventually taking the position
as English and Fine Arts (Art & Drama) teacher for Southern Trinity High
School. She is an active member of the National Council of Teachers of English
(NCTE) and California Association of Teachers of English (CATE). She has also
been involved with the California Literature Project, the California Writing
Project, the Northern California Arts Project and the California Technology Assistance
Program. She has received two Mentor Teacher grants and developed the Senior
Project program, which is now a graduation requirement at So. Trinity and which
she now supervises. She is an avid reader and her hobbies include gardening,
listening to music, and computer and on-line activities. In more recent years
she has developed a love of travel, making trips with her husband to such places
as Western Canada, west-central Mexico and Thailand. In the spring of 1999 she
was selected as a Fullbright Memorial Fund Scholar and in Nov 1999 spent 3 weeks
in Japan as a guest of the Japanese government studying Japanese society, culture
and education. In the year 2000 she enjoyed a month long visit in Norway with
her husband.