Toddy Leuthold was my 6th grad teacher at Citrus Elementary School in Upland California in 1983. I loved her dearly. She had a great influence on the love for reading that I have and my passion for writing. We regularly had group reading class. The last book she read to us was Where The Red Fern Grows. I remember that the book was so worn out from the many times she read it, you could barely make out the title of the book. When we got to the part where one of the dogs died, she cried like she didn't know what was going to happen. It surprised me that a book could still do that to her after she'd read it so many times. I loved the way she read Sherlock Holmes mysteries to us too. She made the written word live and breathe. After I graduated from elementary school, I kept in touch with her until I was about 19 years old. I still have the present she gave me for my high school graduation. I believe she moved and we lost touch. I've tried to find her for years, but I only knew her as Toddy Leuthold. I didn't know her as Stella Behm Leuthold. She touched me and stirred my soul when I was a child and she still occupies a chamber in my heart now. I look forward to seeing her again in Paradise. :)