A little bit about me...born in Boston, I grew up in Palmer, MA, graduating from the public schools (right now we are planning our 50th high school reunion for this fall).  Off I went to Bates College and majored in History (US being my favorite) with minors in Government and Geology.  I was active in extracurricular activities:  Outing Club, intramurals (no intercollegiate teams that long ago!!), student government (Pres of my house, VP of Student Senate), and taught the freshman lab in Geology my junior year.

 

After Bates, I spent 2 years at Wheaton College, completing a Master's level practicum in higher ed administration, specializing in financial aid, work study and student government.  After a summer in Nome, Alaska, to help my sister with her newborn son and 4 step-children, I went to the Republic of South Vietnam to work for the American Red Cross recreation program for able bodied troops, commonly called Donut Dollies.  Since troops and Red Crossers were being pelted with garbage when they landed on the west coast, my assistant at our last post and I decided to come home the long way--we traveled overland through Singapore, Malaysia, Thailand, Burma, India, Nepal, West Pakistan, Afganistan, Iran, Turkey, Greece, Yugoslavia, Austria, Switzerland (my great grandfather's homeland), West Germany, West and East Berlin, England, Wales, and Scotland.  We traveled for 8 months, stopping as long as we wanted, and moving along when we were done.  Many stories!!

 

Next was a year plus in Washington, DC, studying at the American University, selling real estate, and managing 4 day camps in Arlington, VA.  I took 2  years to get a Master's Degree in Park and  Recreation Administration at Indiana University, substitute teaching and directing an overnight camp to raise the funds.  After filling in teaching recreation at the University of Massachusetts (Amherst) for a year, I started working in elder services, ending up as the Executive Director of the Highland Valley Elder Services operating out of Northampton and Westfield, MA.  I was also helping my Aunt run her ski area in the Berkshires, but since she was not ready to let me run it (after all she was only 72 and not ready to turn it over to me!), I decided to find a run down campground in NH to buy and rehab.  To support me while I did that, I worked for the NH Social Welfare Council, running their Infoline program providing social service information statewide and supporting ten regional agencies.  I was the acting Executive Director while Doug Hall was helping a friend run for congress.  When the Infoline program was taken away for the NHSWC to be given to the governor's girlfriend, I went home to run the campground, and, when things slowed down after Labor Day, I started wondering what came next!  A call came from the Franklin Pierce College academic dean asking if I still wanted to teach the recreation courses--yes!   A year later, Walter Peterson (former governor and then president of Pierce) asked if I would be the Chair of the Division of Business Administration.  After we solved the problem of me having no business degree by putting the Recreation Management department into the Business Administration Division, I accepted and served at the Chair for 9 years off and on over the next 18 years.

 

During this time I was also President of the NH Campground Owners Association, New Hampshire Travel Council, co-founded and served as the second President of the Monadnock Travel Council, and Chair of the Board of Trustees of the Cathedral of the Pines.  I also served as the coordinator of the FPC Elderhostel program with the Inn at East Hill Farm as our host in the fall, winter, and spring.  In 1998, I took an early retirement program to spend more time with my ailing Mother.  Unfortunately, she passed away shortly thereafter.  From 1998-2005 I continued to teach part time at the Rindge campus and continued teaching at the Keene FPC campus in the evening program until the summer of 2009 when the campus closed.  I took a sabattical trip via train from London to Hong Kong via Germany, Poland, USSR, Mongolia, and Chinan then via air to Taiwan, South Korea, Japan, and Hawaii in 1986, and took students to Eastern Europe in 1988.

 

Obviously, I love traveling, helping those who travel, and teaching students and GSAs to help also.  I have known about the GSA since it started, and watched its growth.  Judi was a frequent speaker at groups I was in, and when I started cutting back on my teaching at FPC, I let her know that I was available to help out as needed.  She and Bill put me on the Education Committee just as they were developing the National Certification Program.  At that point, the woman who had been serving as committee chair had to resign, and Judi, Bill, and the committee asked me to take over as chair and serve on the Board.  So here I am!!  To practice traveling, my sister and I went down under 2 years ago, visiting Fiji, New Zealand, and Australia with a stop in Hawaii on the way back (Liz needed it for her 50th state visited).

 

So the future:  where do we go from here with Bill stepping back and me taking over as Chair.  I have been working to get to know more about the other areas of the GSAs.  I love talking to Judi about things we can do to improve our services, and look forward to working with her, Kelly, and Whitney more closely.  My mind tends to come up with ideas in response to challenges we come upon rather than coming up with completely new ideas.  I like to brainstorm with someone else or a group to move an organization forward, and expect that will continue to be my format.

 

Other interests include reading (historical novels, especially about US history), cooking, skiing, family (I am President and host the Descendants of Fred A. Parker annual reunion, and co-host Thanksgiving for my Mother's branch--she was the eldest of 8).  I continue on the Board of Trustees at the Cathedral of the Pines, currently serving as Vice Chair of the Board and Chair of the Program and the 65th Anniversary Committees.  I am still active with the Monadnock Travel Council also.