His most famous blunder occurred when he altered 12-year old student William Figueroa's correct spelling of "potato" to "potatoe" at the Muñoz Rivera Elementary School spelling bee in Trenton, New Jersey, on June 15, 1992.[16][17] Quayle was widely lambasted for his error. According to the New York Times[18] and his memoirs, he was relying on cards provided by the school, which Quayle claims included the misspelling. Quayle said he was uncomfortable with the version he gave, but did so because he decided to trust the school's incorrect written materials instead of his own judgment.