The horse raced over the Appalachian Mountains, across the Mississippi River,
past Mount Rushmore, through the Grand Canyon, across the Great Salt Lake, And
through Death Valley. Finally the horse raced at full speed towards the steep
cliffs that hung over the Pacific Ocean. The cowboy shouted, "Whoa, whoa!" but
the horse wouldn't stop. The cowboy was getting really worried when at last he
remembered what to say. He shouted "Amen" just in the nick of time, for they
were a dime's length from the edge of the cliff. The cowboy was so happy that
they had come all the way across the United States in only two hours that he
shouted at the top of his lungs, "Praise the Lord!"
Mae was especially attracted to science-fiction on TV and in the movies. She
liked "Star Trek" and "Lost in Space." Her early interest in science led her to
study engineering and medical research. She earned a Bachelor of Science
degree in Chemical Engineering from Stanford University in 1977. She then
earned her Doctor of Medicine degree from Cornell University in 1981. Her many
interests also led her to wonder about the history of African-Americans. At
another university she earned an Associate degree in African-American
Studies.
