One day she's a teacher and mother in Concord. The next minute she's on the cover of People magazine. That's a lot of pressure to put on anyone.

She had an infectious enthusiasm. She showed she was not going to shy away from being a communicator.

We really are a 24/7 operation. We have people working every minute of every day.

How would you feel if you didn't know where your mother was for one day? Imagine 4 1/2 months.

Days and nights have changed my face. And I have buried my mother on a cold day in May when yellow-throated violets hid in the green, green grass. And wandering about I have placed my favorite faces in crowds that could not hold them, and only to suffer the disappointment.

It really starts with the day Elvis Presley went to Sun Studios to record a song for his mother. Sam Phillips didn't like his singing, but a secretary did and kept his phone number. Sam Phillips said one day he needed a white kid who could sing black, and she had Elvis' number in her drawer.