Marie and Jack Friedel were informed by a pediatrician that they had an unusually gifted child while he was still a baby. This information enabled them to read how best to nurture the emotional as well as the intellectual needs of such an exceptional child. The disparity between these two needs created a great challenge for these parents and to all parents of very gifted children. By becoming informed and deeply involved, the pre-school experience of their son's growth as well as their own was an awesome, almost spiritual experience.

Before their child was ready for school the Friedels moved to Rhode Island. Upon their child's entrance to public school severe problems began. He was eager, highly motivated, and full of excitement--this was short lived.

The Friedels were appalled to discover that the "Gifted Child' was not even recognized. Indeed, there appeared to be prejudices ignorance and even hostility toward the child and his parents. The Friedels made many, many attempts to urge a greater understanding on the part of school personnel. All of their efforts were in vain. It was decided that the child would be better off by not attending school. If the advice of school authorities had been accepted by the Friedels their son would have suffered deep psychological damage. A leading pediatrician in the state of Rhode Island did urge the Friedels to remove their son from school; he, however, refused to convey this information in writing. When this Dr. agreed with Mrs.Friedel that she was right about many highly gifted children in the state being hurt she asked him WHY, WHY, don't you do something about it? His reply: "They are not ready for these children!"

A front page newspaper story was the beginning of the Friedels' long battle which involved the rights of all gifted children. They formed a chapter of The National Association for Gifted Children and encouraged the many parents who called for help, as the result of the news article, to become organized

In the first years of the chapters growth, Marie Friedel traveled to many states for different conferences dealing with the gifted. She soon realized that the N.A.G.C was comprised of prestigious "professionals" who wrote and lectured brilliantly in the field of gifted children but displayed enormous political timidity when she urged them to become more personally involved in advocacy ventures. A new organization with no political ties was necessary; it is interesting that a very powerful member of the NAGC even whispered to her to start another organization!

Thus the National Foundation for Gifted and Creative Children was formed.

The quest to engage professionals to assist this foundation was overwhelmingly difficult. Many prominent people urged Marie Friedel, in personal encounters and in writing, to continue her crusade. But the comment "I cannot become involved; my hands are tied" --was repeatedly made to her.

Dr. Stanley Krippner did become involved. While attending a conference in Chicago in May 1968 which was sponsored by The National Association for Gifted Children, Marie Friedel heard Dr. Krippner give a brilliant lecture on "America's Youth and the Drug Culture:" It was at this time that she had discussed with Dr. Krippner that she found prominent RI. doctors were promiscuously prescribing drugs for creatively gifted children. It was her opinion that many negative labels were being used to encourage this illicit use of drugs. Parents seeking answers were being misinformed and the use of the drug was supposed to quiet very active potentially gifted children. Dr. Krippner questioned these theories and made the comment that some of the Drs. Ms. Friedel mentioned were considered exerts and nationally known. He, however, was very interested and as a result visited the foundation. After seeing for himself that gifted children, indeed, were drugged and there was no proper identification of gifted children in R.I., he became the psychological consultant for the foundation.