FIRST GENERATION


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.

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