Written by Coronado Historical Association Volunteer Carol Pastor
This article was originally published in the March 2022 Issue of Coronado Magazine. To read this article and more from Coronado Magazine, click here or the button below.
I recently had an opportunity to interview a local woman of long-standing—Peggy Price. We met at her home and chatted for over an hour. What a story to tell. However, it was not until I later reviewed my notes that I noticed a fact that Peggy had glossed over. We discussed how we both had December birthdays. And when was she born you ask? Her birthdate was December 23, 1922. This spry, charming little lady, I decided, was indeed a force to be recognized. So this is her story, all 99 years of it.
Peggy was born on Dec. 23, 1922, in Brooklyn, New York, the first of three children of James Wynn, a New York City attorney. Within the next five years, the family moved out to Garden City, on Long Island. By that time two younger brothers had joined the Wynn family. Peggy attended local schools until tenth grade when she transferred to St. Margaret’s School, a boarding school in Waterbury, Conn. She graduated in 1941.
She migrated west to Stanford University where she graduated in 1945. She made it through the war years of WWII. Wanting to complete her education she returned east to obtain her Master’s in Education from Columbia University. After teaching in New York state for three years she had an opportunity to return west where she began teaching in Monterey, California.
She subsequently met and later married Lt. Arthur Price, starting life as a Navy wife in 1952. As a typical navy family, they crisscrossed the country several times over the years. This also gave them family time for camping adventures as well. Although stationed here earlier, it was not until 1964 that they called Coronado home.
Peggy had the responsibility of her six children and running the day-to-day operations at home since Art was gone so much of the time. Somehow she managed to find time to become involved with the girl scouts and as a teacher, leader, and mentor to many over the years. Through the girl scouts, Peggy was also able to enjoy time hiking and camping with the troops. She will be remembered by many, not only girl scouts but also the many children she taught in Coronado over the thirty years of her teaching career. She was a substitute teacher both in the Coronado school system and at Sacred Heart School as well.
As an avid backpacker, she has packed into many remote areas of the Sierra Nevada and Arizona. Once her husband Art retired they were able to resume travel together. They managed to find time to bike the back roads of France, hiking in England and Wales, trips to South America, Antarctica, and an adventurous trip trekking in Nepal. More recently, through the Sierra Club, Peggy has explored on horse and wagon for trips into the wilderness geared to the disabled and those not up to hiking with a backpack. She has been a volunteer for National Track and Fiend events, a first aid instructor for the Red Cross, served on the board of the Coronado Friends of the Library, and volunteered in the computer lab.
Does the name Art Price ring a bell? For those of you who have been living here you have seen his name on the Avenue of Heroes: Rear Admiral Arthur W. Price, Jr. From Lt. to Rear Admiral with a very distinguished naval career, he was a Pearl Harbor survivor, pilot, later commanding officer serving on several ships throughout his years in the Navy. After retiring, he took up another role—that of a volunteer in Coronado serving on various committees. Through his wife Peggy he also took an active advisory role in the girl scouts serving on their finance committee. He was also a life member of the Friends of the Library and was there for 10 years as a cashier at the annual book fair. He spent his entire life in the service of his country, his family, and his community. He died in 2007.
Like so many other Coronado widows Peggy continued to volunteer and was one of the lucky women who was surrounded by her children. Many of them still live here or have moved back to Coronado. They too, like their mother have chosen a wide variety of careers. Peggy will be 100 in December 2022. Keep that in mind, perhaps her past students can send Peggy a note for her birthday.
This article was originally published in the March 2022 Issue of Coronado Magazine. To read this article and more from Coronado Magazine, click here or the button below.
More Photos of Peggy Price:
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