Although I have written articles and given presentations on a
variety of technical and management topics, no subject matter has
aroused my interest and curiosity more than the life story details
that my Mother, Irene Clark Ward, recorded in her journal over the
past 88 years and shared with me in our personal chats. Where
Would I Be? is an exposition of my Mother’s life, the times in which
she lived, her family, the struggles that she endured, and her
formula for successful living - a healthy dose of faith, love, and
determination. Her 12 Secrets to Successful Parenting are the secrets
she used to encourage and inspire her 10 children -- who include Dr.
Bennie F.L. Ward, distinguished nuclear physicist and Chair of the
Department of Physics at Baylor University, Enoch Ward, Jr.,
Georgia Tech’s first black Chemical Engineering graduate, and my
other noteworthy siblings. Her ideas are a mixture of conventional
wisdom and traditional values that are as applicable today as they
were for her over 90 years ago.

Dr. Peggie Ward Koon

Where Would I Be?, is a book full of humorous, adventurous, and heart-wrenching stories told by Irene Clark
Ward, a black matriarch born in 1900’s Georgia who, along with her husband of 64 years, made it through the
toughest of times to bring up 10 remarkable children. Where Would I Be? -- a question that I have asked over and
over again -- speaks volumes about the indomitable spirit of my remarkable Mother, Irene Clark Ward.