Ruth Pittman Long

After high school I went North Carolina A & T State University in Greensboro, North Carolina (Aggie Pride!!!!). I got married in 1984 and lived in North Carolina for about 7 years prior to my marriage. After my time in N.C., I moved back D.C. in the early 90's, and attended U.D.C. where I recieved a degree in Education. Then in the late 90's we moved to Fredericksburg, Virginia (where I now reside). I was a 3rd grade teacher for 7 years but had to leave the profession when I realized I needed more money to put my children through college, which is why I made a career change to Homeland Security. So now I live the horror of the I-95 daily commute.

First I would like to give thanks to Lola LeCounte who was my English teacher. She taught all her students that there was more to the world than just Washington D.C. by taking us to see Broadway plays and things of that nature. One of the trips Mrs. LeCounte took us on was the New York trip where we learned a new dance called "The Freak"!!! So when we went back to D.C., we were the first ones in D.C. doing the dance.

Another memorable moment is the Jamaica trip. After a night of club hopping and drinking Jamaican Rum Punch, I ended up on the bathroom floor of my hotel room "praying to God to let me live another day," and nearly gave my God-Sister Joyce a heart attack because she thought I was dead. Ironically I haven’t been much of a drinker since then. Also on the trip some of the other students bought a frying pan full of marijuana a.k.a. "ganja" for 5 dollars (Don’t worry I won’t snitch lol).

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