Meg Fitzgerald: West Senior Sets Sights on Touring Egypt

     Picture yourself riding camelback across the Sahara Desert towards the Pyramids of Giza or Cheops, exploring the Tomb of King Tutankhamun and cruising down the River Nile.  If Meg Fitzgerald gets her wish, she will undoubtedly do that and more next summer.

     Since as far back as the third grade, the mysteries of ancient civilizations have so captivated the Parkway West senior that the mere mention of Egypt has placed her in a near-hypnotic trance.

     

     Fitzgerald’s graduation request is a trip to that nation.  She then plans on continuing her education by studying Egyptology as a Near Eastern Languages and Civilizations major at the University of Chicago, one of the nation’s foremost learning institutions.

     “I’ve always loved reading about ancient history,” she said. “The people had such different lifestyles.  They didn’t have all the physical conveniences we have, but they still had marvelous wealth.  They made so much of what they had, and people still don’t understand it today.”

     While Fitzgerald strives to “Walk Like an Egyptian” in next year’s travels, walking is one of the things she tries to avoid on the basketball court.  At 6-feet-2, the Orlando, FL native has not always been a smooth performer on the hardcourt.

     “In ninth grade, I was terribly uncoordinated,” she said.  “Whit (Coach Hal Whiteaker) said I couldn’t walk and chew gum at the same time.  Even last year, I played with girls who had a lot more ability.”

      “I almost cut her as a freshman,” Whiteaker recalled.  “When Meg started out, she could barely hit the backboard.  The only reason I kept her was she was 6-foot.  But since then, she’s worked really hard to make the varsity."

     Actually, Fitzgerald, who grew up in San Jose, CA, is a tireless worker in several areas.  Besides doing preparatory lab work for Parkway West science classes, she has a strong musical background.

    Just before Thanksgiving, Fitzgerald was one of 32 Parkway girls who added vocal support for the presentation of DeBussy’s Nocturne for the Youth Symphony Orchestra at Powell Hall. She will also be part of the Bach Society’s Christmas event to be held there Dec. 22-23.

     Besides Fitzgerald, the Longhorns return an abundance of talent in 6-foot, all-metro forward Paige Ewaldsen and fleet-footed 5-3 senior guard Dora Phillips.

     Senior Roanne Daniels; juniors Amy Rossi, Aliy Zirkle and Monique Breeland; and sophomores Liz Pedersen, Laura Ewaldsen and Bettina Schubert, April Warden and Sheri McLanahan will try and help West improve on last year’s 21-7 record.