I’ll never forget the first day I saw her. Happily drawing, she sat alone in front of the grade school in New Hampshire where I was starting my new job as an art teacher. I can’t explain it, but my heart fell to my knees. I felt like I knew her. Maybe it was because she was the cutest kid I had ever seen. It turned out that I would know Bon Tha Phoung Beckwith for the next 30 years. After teaching her in grade school, I later had her in my class for her four years in high school, and after she graduated, we remained close. Born in Battambang, Cambodia, in 1975, Tha and her family suffered under the brutal regime of the Khmer Rouge. Tha lost her father and brother, but she, her mother and two sisters made it out and were brought to the United States. In 1994, when Tha was a senior in high school, we traveled together to Cambodia. Despite the continuing turmoil, we successfully reunited her with relatives separated during the war. This photo of her was taken during our trip. Despite her traumatic early years, Tha had a peaceful, light spirit, a ready smile and a wonderful sense of humor. She was killed in a car accident on Nov. 27, the day before Thanksgiving, her favorite holiday.
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