peterson got to know lenore romney when the two of them began making appearances in small towns around the state speaking in the support of the constitutional revisions. when george romney ran for governor, peterson was assigned the job of managing lenore romney's appearances. she wrote in her memoir that she did not accept the assignment, quote, with a great deal of joy, and that she thought her own credentials, quote, rated more than another hand-holding position, shepherding the wife of a candidate. elly peterson lived by my mother's maxim of, if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything. and so by her standards those statements were expressions of true annoyance. but she developed a great deal of respect and a close friendship with lenore particularly after mrs. romney wowed the press corps at a press conference that she pretty much forced peterson to set up for her at the start of the campaign. peterson traveled all over the state with mrs. romney in that 1962 campaign, and mitt -- then a teenager -- sometimes accompanied them. local women, peterson recalled, handled all the