Teacher and Student Reunited

Feb. 16, 2001 -- When Cynthia Roach was in the fifth grade in Dunellen, N.J., back in 1969, her nickname was "dummy" and her teachers dismissed her as a behavior problem because she refused to read.

But one teacher, Angelo Mone, saw what his colleagues missed: Roach wasn't defiant, but rather an intelligent girl who was struggling to learn. Roach was later diagnosed with dyslexia.

About six months ago, Good Morning America asked viewers to submit the names of teachers who changed their lives. A company that searches for people, 1-800-Bighugs, plucked Roach's story from several hundred responses. And after a 20-year absence Roach was reunited with her teacher on GMA and she got a chance to say thank you.

"Thank you so much for everything you did for me in my life," Roach told Mone on GMA today.

Mone remembered Roach well as "Cyndi," and recalled that she was defiant. She did not want to complete assignments, did not read, and refused to conform to class rules. But he recognized that she had a learning problem and that she needed some extra help, and love.

Mone, who went from being a teacher to school principal, now teaches student teachers at a college in New Jersey. He believes that although he may have helped Roach when he was her teacher, all of her other achievements are through her own efforts.

Still, he said that it is a great reward as a teacher to have a student remember him as a life-changing figure.

Problem Child Finds Success And for someone who was considered not-so-smart in school, Roach has done well for herself. She founded her own record company, "We B Records," and started what is now one of the most successful marketing companies in the music business, ADW Communications, which recently worked on promotions for The Backstreet Boys and Britney Spears.

But along the way, she had to deal with some setbacks. While she was working as general manager and vice president of Assault Records, a Time Warner-distributed label, Roach got in a head-on car crash and sustained major injuries.

Two days before her 40th birthday, she got a letter from Social Security telling her she was officially disabled and she could never work again. She suffers from chronic pain syndrome, and sometimes needs a wheelchair, but despite the disability, she went on to start her own marketing company.

Encouraging Words

Mone recognized that she was intelligent, and was patient and extremely encouraging with her, something no one had ever been, she said.

This attention helped her turn her life around. Even as an adult she remembered Mone's words and was inspired to succeed and not give up.

Now married for seven years, and with a stepson in medical school, she and her family quote Mr. Mone-isms, such as "Remember when you're pointing that finger at someone else to blame them, there's three fingers pointing back at you," and "With freedom comes responsibility.

If not for the creativity and energy he brought to the class, she feels she might have ended up a failure in life. Until his classes, she suffered from very low self-esteem. Roach became very successful because she was never afraid to fail, she said.

She believes he gave her that courage.

The Search for Mr. Mone

Bighugs selected Roach because her life was so interesting, and because her teacher clearly remembered her, said Troy Dunn, founder of 1-800Bighugs. With Mr. Mone, as soon as Cynthia Roach's name was mentioned, he had strong recollections of her.

After getting all the information, Dunn says that it actually took about one minute to find the teacher.

When BigHugs first started, the average search cost $1,000, and used to take weeks, months, and years. With the help of modern technology, it can now cost as little as $8, and the length of time is measured in hours and days.

Dunn founded the company in 1990 to help his mom (who was adopted) find her family. Since then, they've been locating family and friends for their clients with over 1 million calls a year.

He's helped a number of celebrities, including Ray Liotta, "Chilly" from the group, "TLC", and Melissa Gilbert, who was seeking her father.

Each year, the company gets invitations to weddings that directly result from their reuniting couples, and they are also beginning to get baby shower invitations.

Adoption searches are still the No. 1 request, but more people are using the company to search of teachers, Dunn said.