"I STAND CORRECTED." Joy Waldrop, the seventh of eight children, was raised on the East Coast. The two major influences in her life are her mother, Lois Simonds, and her friend and mentor of twelve years, John Leming*. Joy's mother taught her in many ways, that writing is a powerful form of expression. Joy spent years learning the disciplines of proper speech and communication by heeding her mother's repeated corrections to Joy's grammar. Lois made it clear to all of her children that "One who is able to write and speak effectively will gain both respect and recognition." John, a freelance writer and editor, taught Joy that writing can be an effective problem-solving tool, which can expose and shed different perpectives on the complex issues Americans deal with in the Millenium. With the philosophy that learning is growth, Joy listened and gained many keen insights about both writing and life in general from these two people. *Sadly, John Leming passed away on November 27, 2000 after a brief bout with cancer.