One of My Favorite Teachers Comes to Town

My name is Mary McGrath. It's always been Mary McGrath – no married name, hyphens, or husband. I like my name. I’ve grown attached to it after 63 years.

But in certain circles, I am also known as Grathy. I've had this nickname for a long time. It’s easy to remember, but there’s a more important reason why I adopted this moniker.

I suspect Grathy originally came from my pal Ruth Reiquam, a former teacher of mine from North Hollywood High School. Ms. Reiquam was a great teacher, supportive, disciplined, and tons of fun.

Back in the day, my mother was also a PE teacher in Los Angeles. My mom had a network of teacher friends throughout her career, and one of them was Ruthie.

I remember that Ruthie called my mom Grathy. It was catchy. It was sporty. So, when I needed an email address, I decided to take this nickname as well.

The original Grathy, Virginia McGrath Mayo, has now been gone for 16 years. But I hope her lineage continues with my adoption of her catchy nickname.

I look forward to seeing my pal Ruthie today for a small high school reunion in her honor. Even though it’s been at least 20 years since I’ve seen her, I hope she’ll still call me Grathy, despite my being the second in command.