Sisters AND Friends!

"I was the youngest of five children – four girls and one boy – with my brother Charles being right in the middle! My two older sisters and Charles were too old to be my playmates, but my sister, Mary, and I played together often."

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In 1963, I Started Teaching Third Grade

“In 1963, I started teaching third grade at Sacred Heart School in Lombard, Illinois. At that time, you did not need a teaching degree in a Parochial School (I had begun pursuing my teaching degree, but I had not finished yet). My first class had 54 students.

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A Career Change - After 20 Years of Nursing!

As a child, I vacillated between wanting to be a teacher like my grandmother and wanting to be a nurse because of the cool uniforms. Nursing won out after I read the Sue Barton and Cherry Ames novels.

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Lasting Legacies

This past week I had the privilege to read a book about a woman in her 90s. As was common for many people during that time, she grew up in a home with no electricity or indoor plumbing. Her mother cooked on a wood stove, and her family used coal oil lamps for light. In the evenings they played games like “I Spy” to pass the time. With time, she saw the first telephone, then the first car, and eventually the first television come to her community.

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"You can do anything by hard work, honesty, and love!"

"I’ve gone from no electricity or running water to knowing how to use Facebook and text on a cell phone!"

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The Day After Graduation

I enlisted a day after I graduated from high school. I chose the Army because I knew if I went in the Navy, I would get seasick, so the Navy was not a good choice for me. My vision wasn't good, so flying was not for me either. I believed enlisting was the responsibility of anyone physically able to serve their country.

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What's the most interesting job you've ever had?

"One day, I was talking to a fireman and he told me to put my application into the Battle Creek Fire Department. I was hired, and it started a wonderful career for me. I loved that every run was different and there were never any two alike.

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A Lifelong Passion for Cycling

“Biking has long been a favorite hobby of mine. I remember getting my first bike from the Marion Gamble Hardware Store as a birthday gift from my parents when I was in grade school. The picture on the right is of my father holding me when I was just a newborn.

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The Dog Days of Summer

When you hear about the “dog days of summer,” what do you think of? Perhaps as a child you found the phrase curious. Did you ponder if it meant that on those days, humans felt like dogs, preferring to lie around panting from the heat? Or maybe you wondered if something happened to dogs in the heat, so it was a warning to keep dogs away from hot pavement? Did you think they were they called dog days because kids out of school had more time to play with their dogs then? Or did you come up with some other reasoning behind the saying?

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A Tribute to Mothers

As a four-year-old, when interviewed by my preschool teacher, this is how I described my mother:

My mommy works a lot, but I don’t know what. She just writes things down. I think she’s probably 31. Her favorite color is purple and pink, and her favorite food is pizza. She’s a good cook… sometimes! I like to go to meetings with her because I like to be with her. She’s pretty when she goes to meetings, and she’s not pretty when she’s wearing pants.

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