Political Play of the Day: Romney runs into old Michigan teacher

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By Beth Boehne

Story Created: Jan 12, 2008 at 7:24 PM EST

Story Updated: Jan 12, 2008 at 8:56 PM EST

LIVONIA, Mich. (AP) — Add another stop on Mitt Romney's trip down memory lane in his native Michigan.

The Republican presidential contender ran into his first-grade teacher — 78-year-old Gloria Blazo of Novi — as he was shaking hands Saturday following a speech to the conservative Americans For Prosperity summit here.

"He was one person you never had to reprimand about talking at all," Blazo later told reporters, after Romney brought her over to his media bus. "He worked hard and he has lots of strengths."

Student and teacher spent the 1953-54 school year together at Vaughn Elementary School in Bloomfield Hills, where Romney grew up. Fifty-three years later, Blazo brought with her a notecard from her class, in which she wrote about "Billy" Romney — a nickname for Romney's given first name, Willard. He later abandoned it for his middle name amid teasing by his classmates.

Mixing politicking with sightseeing on Friday, Romney returned to the Michigan Statehouse — where his father, George, served as governor for three terms — and posed for pictures outside the state office building named for his Dad.

On Saturday, during a stop in Traverse City, he recalled vacationing at nearby Torch Lake. Later, while awaiting for his bus at the Willow Run airport, Romney sat by a fireplace and told reporters how he used to fly in and out of the facility when it was the region's main airfield.

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