AN AUTOBIOGRAPHY
By Peggy Ledwith
As told to Grey Whipple
Peggy Ledwith, and her identical twin, Elva, were born in 1937 in South San Francisco. Subsequently, the Ledwiths moved to Burlingame and the twins spent grades K-3 at Washington Elementary School. Grey Whipple, who arrived at Washington to start the 3rd grade recalls well the Ledwith twins. Says Grey, "They looked alike, they dressed alike, they acted alike, and when they switched places, only our teacher, Miss Carmody, knew." Following the third grade, the Ledwith sisters completed grades 4 - 8 at Roosevelt School.
In the months following graduation from Burlingame HS, Peggy enrolled at San Mateo JC (now College of San Mateo) taking Business and Music coursework. Concurrently, she worked part-time in a music store in Burlingame.
Peggy's life has been filled with music. Says Peggy, "Elva and I both started music lessons when we were six years old and continued without interruption until we were 18. Both Elva and I also played the viola in the grammar and high school orchestras. Elva and I gave many recitals together and still we play almost every day. We both play mostly classical."
At about age 20 Peggy started teaching piano and has been at it ever since. She currently averages about 17-20 piano students each week. When her children were in Job's Daughters and DeMolay (the youth Masonic Orders), Peggy played the piano for lodge meetings and events when needed. She is also a member of Eastern Star (also Masonic).
"We were raised in the Christian Science Church, and Elva and I started playing the organ for Sunday school when we were 12 years old."
The summer a year after graduation from BHS, Peggy took a full-time job in San Francisco and met her future husband. They were married in 1956 and they had seven children from 1958 to 1965 - three boys and four girls (two of which are identical twins). Says Peggy, "Elva now has identical twin granddaughters, and because of all the twins in our family, Kaiser has done a study on us."
Peggy continues, "Starting with the first child, my life was busy raising children, teaching piano, and keeping books for the TV sales and service store that we owned for a period in Hayward. When the children were in high school, they all worked in the store. I lived in Colma for five years, then Novato for six years, then Hayward, and then to Tracy seven years ago."
"In 1972 we were divorced, and then I went back to work to help raise the children. They are now all grown and married and have 15 children among them, and I am still working. As of this date, my boys are 46, 44, and 41, and the girls, 43, 40, and the twins 39 in December. Four of my children have college degrees and one is working on it."
"The four girls all live in Tracy. The boys live in Pleasanton and Pleasant Hill CA, and Arkansas. None of the children gave me any trouble when growing up so I guess I did something right. As I reflect on their high school education, I think I got a much better education at BHS than they did in Hayward. As for me, over the years I have been able to take coursework in Law and Accounting at Chabot College."
"Shortly after my divorce I met my significant other here in Hayward. We were very close and were best friends until his death early this year. During his last two years I was his primary care home nurse. Now that that difficult period is behind me, I think a lot about retiring and traveling again. When I was married we traveled every year all over the world. Now it is pretty much just trips to Arkansas."
"As for my spare time, I enjoy knitting and crocheting, and, of course, playing the piano and organ. It seems incredible that we all graduated nearly 50 years ago. I am planning to attend our 50th Reunion next year and I look forward to renewing old acquaintances."
Peggy Ledwith
October 2004
