It was with great pride that we of Glen Cove SEPTA (Special Education PTA) attended the March of Dimes Golden Apple Awards Dinner held on Nov. 9. This award was created to recognize and honor outstanding individuals who have made a difference through their commitment to education. With this in mind, it was our great pleasure to find that Glen Cove's own Mary Murphy, director of Special Education, was chosen as a recipient of this prestigious award.

We have known and worked with Mrs. Murphy for many years and witnessed her steadfast commitment to supporting our "special needs" children and families in the educational setting. She has always demonstrated nothing less than the utmost professionalism and integrity during her career as teacher, administrator and advocate. Therefore, it was not surprising to find so many teachers, parents, administrators and community members there to honor her personally.

However, what was surprising and disappointing, no one from Central Administration attended this dinner as a show of support for this dedicated woman and the children and families for whom she works so hard. This is a richly deserved honor and we are proud to have her as our director and privileged to call her our friend.

Nancy Furlong and GC SEPTA Parents