Following high school graduation, I enrolled in Albion College, MI, but didn't stay (homesick). The next semester I took a couple courses at Oberlin College. A year later I was at Ohio University, Athens, to finish my BA in French (1966) and MA in Applied Linguistics (TEFL) (1968).

In between my degrees, I had a fellowship at U. of Wisconsin working in the DARE Program (Dictionary of American Regional English). That involved traveling in a camper van in North Carolina mountains and southern California high desert collecting regional dialect usage . I taught English as a Foreign Language at the Ohio Program of Intensive English (OPIE) at Ohio U. until 1974. I went into the US Army in 1976.

I was in for 4 years in Germany and New York working in Finance. While in Germany, I married a guy from Syracuse, NY, hence our request to have me stationed in NY. We divorced in 1987.

When I got out of the service, I got a job as a civilian at the same base and have been there progressing through the grades to a GS 11 Management Analyst. The base is closing under Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) this September. A few folks will remain in an enclave or caretaker status. Not me. So now I either let the Army move me somewhere else, or take early retirement and look for work locally.

I'm tentatively working on another degree (BS, Accounting) at Empire State College. Can't say business really turns me on. But it's free from NYS for retraining, so why not. I just took marketing and will attempt Macro-Economics this summer. Pity me. (I decided to take only one course so I could play golf.)

I live in a beautiful area—Finger Lakes Region in central New York. My house overlooks Seneca Lake and has a gorgeous view. I have an acre to mow and I've mowed Saturday and Monday so far this week.(!!) This is wine country, a vineyard around every corner. I live out in the countryside. There are Amish and Mennonites here. The former drive horse and buggies, the latter black cars and vans with the chrome painted black. Very plain folk, all. Seneca Falls is the home of the Women's Hall of Fame and Gould's Pumps (ITT). Waterloo is the home of Memorial Day. The only thing we lack is Presti's pickled celery. Love that stuff.

I also love Jazz music—older styles (Marsalis and Krall at the moment). I swim and do Nautilus for exercise. I like antique furniture—love the Antique Road Show on PBS. I enjoy watching women's tennis and support my mother by watching Braves baseball. I'm working with Literacy Volunteers of America-Seneca County. I'm on the board of directors as the treasurer and am a tutor as well. I tutor a wonderful Chinese couple who own a restaurant locally. It's very rewarding.

My Mom left Mississippi to live with my sister in Altadena, CA, nearly 2 years ago. She's well. My father died several years ago in Mississippi. My sister, Carole, and her husband, Jim, have been retired from JPL for nearly a year. They "work" as docents in a canyon near their home. Jim goes back to JPL as a consultant occasionally working on the Cassini Project. My sister works with League of Women Voters. Together they often play tennis.