Marie Dugan was 35 years old when she went to her first American Montessori Society (AMS) conference. The year was 1969; the city was Boston. Four hundred people attended, most of them from the East Coast. The keynote speaker was Dr. Nancy McCormick Rambusch, founder of the American Montessori Society. In this brief article Dugan describes that memorable day and how she was inspired by Rambusch's compelling presentation describing what Montessori education does for children, their parents, and the dedicated teachers who work with them. Dugan goes on to highlight Rambusch's accomplishments over the span of her life.