AW: Where did you grow up/where are you from? SMF: On a farm near Calumet, Iowa, population 225.
AW: When did you first move to D.C.? What area in D.C. do you and your family live in now? SMF: I moved to D.C. in 1983- Oct. 28, 1983. We live in Potomac, Md. I have a husband and two kids.
AW: If you could change one thing about the world, what would it be and why? SMF: Well, I mean the world, I wish it were more peaceful - that there was greater equity around the world.
AW: What is your favorite way to relax after class? Do you have any hobbies? SMF: I am an avid walker, jogger, swimmer. I lift weights. I try to get as much exercise as I possibly can in my day. I probably walk between, well, I try to average five to six miles a day in just power walking. I usually try to do that with people in the neighborhood. Sometimes I'll grab a student and say, "Oh, let's go for a walk." The fresh air and exercise is the best. And of course my family; that's full time.
AW: What is your favorite word? SMF: A German word in which I'm not aware of an English equivalent. For other words, well "mediocrity." It's a word that I don't like to settle for, and I don't want others to, either. Don't do anything mediocre. Don't settle for mediocrity. Give it your all, give it your best. Yes. Simple. Clear. Positive. And I'm usually happy when I get this as an answer for something that I need or want.
AW: What is one thing your students or colleagues don't know about you? SMF: Well, I know that they do not know that in seventh grade, my pig and I won the Prettiest Pig contest. It was to dress up, and this is just so silly, but we did. But one of my brothers - I'm the youngest of six children - and my brother gave me advice on that day when I was 12 going into the competition. And it was, "Sarah, relax and don't make a fool of yourself." There have been many times where I've tried to listen to that little voice. I don't know, he would probably disagree, that I have not done either one. But I try to remember that. Also, I guess students wouldn't know that my cinnamon rolls came in honorable mention in the Des Moines Register in a baking contest. In Montgomery County, I won a competition for the best barbecue ribs. I don't think they know that about me or that they would want to. I'm a member of the Screen Actors Guild and American Federation of Television and Radio Actors. In addition to directing and producing documentaries and educational videos, I am an actress and do voiceover work.
AW: After winning the Prettiest Pig Contest, what did you receive besides the title? SMF: Well it wasn't me by the way that won the Prettiest Pig Contest, it was my pig. Let's clarify that.
AW: And your pig's name was? SMF: My pig did not have a name because you don't ever name pigs that are going to end up in market. You don't want to get too personally attached. My pig wore hot pants and a see-through blouse, but it kicked them off and so it just ended up with a bow on, and it was on a harness. Proportionally, the judge said, "The pig and I were the right proportion for each other." Alright, whatever that means. It means it wasn't too small of a pig for the person, not too big of a hog for a little person, all those kinds of things. And it was just a spunky little pig, and it really did. It was amazing; it had never been on a harness before, and you would have thought it was a trained hog. You know a trained little pig. The pig probably weighed around 25 pounds. It was a little 25-pound pig. So, it was easy for me to handle, and it wore our dog's harness. It went around the rink, and it was just a great little pig. I won a trophy. I still have the trophy. This was back in the time when no one got trophies. You didn't get trophies for soccer - you just didn't get trophies, so I was like "Oh my God, I have a trophy." I didn't know any kid my age that had ever won a trophy. This was so huge. So, it's a little pig on top of a crown. I have the trophy, I could bring it in. It was pretty cool. What can I say?
AW: Was this a town tradition? SMF: This was the country fair. It just had it that one particular year. But isn't it interesting, I mean let's look at the links here, at age 12 her hog wins the Prettiest Pig Contest, and then later I win this pork barbecue contest, sponsored by Maalox no less, and $1,500 for my barbecued ribs. And they were really my mother's barbecued rib recipe. I just kind of went full circle, from the beginning of the pig to the end of the pig.
AW: How did you choose the pig? SMF: We just went out there and picked out a pig that would fit the harness, and it was a pretty little pig. We washed him up and put a little baby powder on him to whiten up his little skin/hair.
