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Jill
and Karen
Grandson Charlie
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In
1963, 50 years seemed like an eternity – yet here we are. It has
been wonderful to read about the paths each of you chose to follow.
I noticed a number of people mentioned how protected, even naïve, we
were while in WLHS and how much simpler life was then. What stood
out to me was that perhaps because of that environment we were all
able to follow our interests for careers, meet many challenges along
the way, and make contributions to the lives of our family members
and others. Not a bad record of achievement for the Class of ’63.
I first
attended IU (sorry), but then I transferred to Purdue because the
program in speech pathology was stronger there. I met my husband,
Bill, at Purdue and we recently celebrated 46 years together.
I taught
for 2 years in the public schools and then took time off to raise
our two daughters, Karen and Jill. In 1985, I returned to teaching
and finished my master’s degree in Learning Disabilities. I
continued teaching in the only special education class we had in our
rural school at the junior-senior high level until, after 25 years,
retirement called to me.
As some
of you already know, our family suffered a tragic loss when our 17
year old daughter, Jill, was involved in an automobile accident
coming home from volleyball practice the first week of her senior
year in 1994. She died following almost 3 weeks in the hospital.
It was only because of the tremendous support of my daughter, Karen,
Bill, family, and dear friends, that I was able to return to
teaching the following year.
My mother
passed away in 1999, and we lost Dad last October at the age of 94.
For those of you who remember him, he remained active and involved
to the very end.
After
living a very rural life on a farm, we retired nearer to town in a
home that is at least 120 years younger than the one we lived in for
over 40 years. Quite a transition – it’s nice to have level floors
and standard-sized windows. Our daughter Karen, her husband Dan,
and our wonderful grandson, Charlie, live nearby and we feel blessed
that they decided to remain close to home.
While I
wish I could attend the reunion and catch up in person, health
issues prevent me from being there. I hope you have a wonderful
time. Thank you to the committee members for all the work you have
done.
Jodi
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