The day that changed my life

My first job after secretarial school was at a prestigious law firm. Back then, large law firms were very formal. Attorneys and their secretaries addressed each other as Mr., Miss, or Mrs. I worked for two attorneys-one was brash and a bit of a scatterbrain while the other one was kind, supportive, and great fun to work for. He also gave me opportunities to do things more like an assistant than a secretary. He always called me "Miss R" and I called him "Mr. A."

One day, he called me into his office, sat me down, and told me I was too smart to be wasting my time as a legal secretary-that I should go to college. When I went home and told my father, he agreed to support me.