My deepest condolences to all of the family and friends of Mr. Pince. He was my 6th grade teacher at Lafayette in 1976 and was, without a doubt, the most incredible teacher I ever had. I remember him as a wonderfully kind, warm, motivating, and fun-loving teacher who really cared about his students. My favorite memories of being in his class were playing Thumbs-up 7-up inside the classroom on rainy days, doing ' the bump on Fridays (it was the 70's!), singing in his chorus, and square dancing in the auditorium. But undoubtedly, the memory that has remained the most vivid in my mind over the past 38 years is a poem by Kenneth Grahame that he made us memorize and he would call on us randomly to recite it in class. If we could do it, he would throw candy our way which apparently was very motivating because I still remember the poem to this day. Thank you for being such a wonderful influence in my life Mr. Pince. This one's for you. May you rest in peace.Duck's DittyAll along the backwater,Through the rushes tall,Ducks are a-dabbling,Up tails all!Ducks' tails, drakes' tails,Yellow feet a-quiver,Yellow bills all out of sight,Busy in the river!Slushy green undergrowth,Where the roach swim,Here we keep our larder,Cool and full and dim.With love and affection always,Deanne Manelis Crews
