Meet a Westsider:
Peggy Harrell

Profession/Occupation... I am a retired medical social worker now teaching in the social work program at PPCC as an adjunct instructor.

What I like most about the Westside is... I grew up here on the Westside, and it still feels like a "hometown," not the big city that Colorado Springs has become. I love the history here, the old homes and business buildings, the big trees and the friendly people.

If I could change anything about the Westside, it would be... Well, as the empty spaces are filled up with homes, condos and apartments, I always miss the space that was there. I worry about the new project on the Golden Cycle Mill hill, and I hope and pray that it is done tastefully and with insight into the history here. It does sound like there is a good deal of consideration toward this happening. Replacing the old with new often decreases our understanding and appreciation of history.

A good movie I’ve seen recently is... I see lots of movies. The recent ones I have really enjoyed are: “The Constant Gardener” and “The March of the Penguins.”

The worst advice I’ve ever gotten was... from my mother and my grandmother: “What would the neighbors think?”

If I could meet someone famous, I’d like to meet... Famous does not necessarily impress me, it's the mind, soul, and heart that leads to the impressive contributions to our world. That said, I would like to meet several people, living and dead. Gandhi, Georgia O'Keefe, Martin Luther King Jr., Bobby Kennedy, General William Palmer, (and many other historical figures of Colorado). And of the living: John Edwards and his wife Elizabeth, Danika Patrick (she really accomplished something in NASCAR).

The next time I travel, I’m going to... Maybe to Nebraska to see my sister. Or to the South (Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida) to the beaches and ocean, and also to see what destruction has been caused by the hurricanes and how the people are recovering and rebuilding.

My favorite childhood memory is... There are many: going to school at Buena Vista and West Junior; going to the small stores on West Colorado, a corner grocery on Colorado and 15th Street, and one on 16th and Colorado, a small diner on 18th and Colorado where we would go for French fries and "suicides" (a fountain drink with all kinds of syrups and soda fizz). There was a "five and dime" store in the 24th or 25th block on Colorado (not Duckwall's, that came later) with lots of toys and stuff where I could spend hours looking and where I first got Barbie outfits. Schoch's Hardware was always fun to look at things.

My favorite summer pastime is... Flower gardening and working in the yard, getting to watch as the earth starts to come alive, seeing green sprouts turn into flowers, listening to the birds sing.

Something good I’ve read is.. I read mostly fiction novels and I read a lot: anything by Diane Mott Davidson, Tony Hillerman, John Grisham, and several others.

My pet peeve is... Hmmm, people who are rude, disrespectful and inconsiderate of others and others' property and those who judge others rather than look for the good in others, especially those who are different from ourselves. We can always learn a lot from others and from diversity.

If I won the lottery, I’d... I'd pay off my house and bills, invest and save some for the future, use some to travel, and give a large amount to various agencies here in the Springs that help those who are going through difficult times – who are indigent, uninsured, or homeless and want to get help to change their lives for a better future and need a helping hand.

Meet a Westsider” is a regular feature in the Westside Pioneer. If you would like to be a Meet-a-Westsider (or know someone who should be), please give us a call at 471-6776.