I first met Ron Fletcher in 1995 at a workshop in Denver. Immediately I found him to be inspirational, funny, slightly irreverent at times, and a great raconteur. That meeting and first workshop ended up becoming the beginning of a long relationship as I continued to study with him for thirteen years.

Over that course of time I made sure to be at every workshop he taught. I progressed in my studies and was eventually honored as Ron allowed me to assist him and then eventually to notate his work. I was honored in 2000 when Ron allowed me to present his work at the American Academy of Osteopathy Annual Conference. My reflections on those years include many fond individual and group memories for me. Ron often said that study and experience are the lore that we gather to become a teacher.

In 1995, I was running on a trail and an idea for a sculpture of Ron began to take shape. My dance teacher for many years, Mary Staton, was thrilled with the idea of commissioning Maggie Parker to do a sculpture in honor of Ron's 75th birthday. Ron and I posed for the two "Rons" that would eventually become the final statue. We would hold these incredible positions from old photos of Ron as a dancer for what seemed an eternity while Maggie took endless photos. Then one of us would laugh, groan or Ron would tell a story and we abruptly lost our composure as well as the pose.

Traveling with Ron to workshops was also the source of many great reflections. Ron and I were avid readers and typically after a long workshop day we would retire to our respective rooms to read and order room service. Ron would call me in my room and ask me what I ate for dinner and tell me about his dinner. Then we would talk for hours about the day, tomorrow, or life - all the while being in different rooms literally feet away from each other.

One day I showed him a piece of his standing floor work that I had adapted to the Spine Corrector. He liked the movement that I had created, so we spent the next two hours sitting in Spine Corrector and refining the piece until he was satisfied that "it said something".

Deborah Lesson invited Ron to come and teach a workshop in New York City. Over the years, Ron came to trust that I could teach for him so that he could walk the room to see what the students looked like from the side and back. Kathy Grant had come that day to observe. We were teaching Towel work and we had presented Kathy with her own red towel so that she could participate. Suddenly before I knew it I was in front of the room teaching and Ron and Kathy were in the back taking class! I thought - my God how did this happen to me; teaching my Pilates mentor and Kathy Grant? I will never forget the moments, I see them as gifts that were given to me by Ron and they are etched in my mind as if they happened yesterday. Every time I reflect upon them I smile.

Ron encouraged me to reach for excellence and to grow. He is the inspiration of my Pilates teaching. And he told me to take the work and put it "into my bones". His teachings were the essence of attention to detail, precision, breath, and artistry. Because of Ron to this day I endeavor to embody those things and I can't help but feel his presence in the room and inside me. He will be missed.

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