Dr. Seuss week is traditionally celebrated each year during the first week of March. Most elementary educators strive to bring in guest readers for this week-long celebration and Piedmont Housing Authority Director Keith Word was included in that list of special guest.

Word spent time in the second grade classes at Spring Garden Elementary School. Word read to Sabrina Reedy’s class and Mary Maddox’s class. Word talked about Dr. Seuss week and shared stories with the students in Maddox’s class about the special or unique places that he had traveled over the years.

Word shared pictures with the kids of his visit to the White House where he was one of the 50 state presidents in the United States Jaycees where President Ronald Reagan spoke. Word talked about his wife and his trip to Sydney, Australia and showed pictures of his wife holding a koala bear.

Word told about his many trips to Washington, D.C. seeing Arlington National Cemetery, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the Capitol and many other historical sites. Word shared his picture of meeting President George Bush; his picture with Charles Barkley and visits with Senators Richard Shelby and Howell Heflin and Congressman Bill Nichols. The students seemed to enjoy the special stories of Word’s travels over the years.

Maddox’s class was completed with Word dancing with Annabelle Hill as she demonstrated her dance moves with the class with music from the 1960’s and 1970’s.

“I truly enjoyed the visit so much with the kids,” Word said. “They were just great and so fun to be with. I can see why teachers or educators enjoy their careers so much.”