if i could welcome ms. tilly. come on up. [applause] and if there are any students of hers, past or present, who would like to come up and stand -- come on, you guys -- stand with her. everyone is so little. i should tell you that when all the little girls walked in with their tutus, bevan was upset that he did not wear his. you have a supervisor who is with you in hard. colleagues, it is my distinct pleasure today to honor a beloved san franciscan. miss tilly, as she is known to the thousands of children who have studied with her, began her studies with the san francisco ballet at the age of 11 and first danced in "the nutcracker" as a buffoon. when she was 15, she became a member of the san francisco ballet company. she went with the company on the united states department was of africa, the far east, the middle east, and south america. her teaching career began at the age of 13 when she was appointed apprentice teacher to the pre-ballet program. after performing professionally with the ballet, she joins the faculty of the