After graduation, I headed north to the University of South Carolina in Columbia.  My course of study was Elementary Education.  Left USC after three years to get married and to live in Asheville NC.  Wow! Mountains! Hills! Valleys! Snow!  Very different from Jax, eh? And I loved it!!   But we only stayed two years.  My husband found out that Georgia offered better advancement and so we moved to Atlanta – actually to “May-retta” – and I’ve been here in “Jaw-ja” ever since.

     My first child – Kristian “Kit”– was born in December 1967.  By the time my second son – Todd – was born in March 1970, we lived in Kennesaw. My marriage ended in the spring of 1972, and from then on it's been the boys and me – plus a procession of kitty cats.

     School beckoned so I finished my Education degree at Georgia State University, and began teaching Kindergarten in Sept. 1973.  After four years I had realized I would need a Master’s degree to be able to comfortably support us, so it was back to GSU for a Master’s degree in Early Childhood Special Education.  Then back to teaching Kindergarten – this time in a public school double session format.  After four years and fighting burnout, I moved to the Fourth Grade for one year.

     Voila! The fates directed me to a newspaper article about a new program at GSU that involved cultural conservation, historic architecture, and folklore.  And so I entered the Master of Heritage Preservation program in Fall 1984 and in two years, became the second graduate of the MHP program (March 1986).  I vowed that I would never take a course for credit or write any papers again!

       My first opportunity to put this degree to work came almost immediately.  I was hired by the Crawford W. Long Museum Association, Jefferson GA, as a researcher/consultant for the museum’s expansion from one building to three.  This included writing text for new county history exhibits, rewriting old exhibit text, acquiring artifacts to display, setting up a library for history research (families and local area), helping create the Jefferson Historic Preservation Commission, surveying area historic buildings, etc., etc. Then in January 1988, I was named the first official Director of the CWL Museum. 

      Yes, this was writing ‘papers’ again, but I liked it so much I actually moved to Jefferson in 1992!   Among the things that I'm most proud of are the five Living History festivals and the five years of monthly programming I produced, and the genuine new interest in learning local history I saw developing in young and old alike.

     Back to 1992, uh, small town, rural area … not much available there, but ever so much more convenient to work – I lived two blocks away instead of sixty miles.  My usual work week totaled 60 hours, and many times much more…so much to do.  The folks there “rode me hard and put me up wet,” if you know what I mean.  After almost ten years (1986-1996), the CWL Museum Association and I parted ways, but not me and Jefferson. 

     It was the year of the Olympics!  My sons came from Hawaii (Kit) and Atlanta (Todd) to attend the soccer games in Athens 20 miles away.  We had a fantastic time!  By late April 1998, I was back in Atlanta … yea!!

      To bring you up to date on my sons: Kit graduated from Georgia Tech in Mechanical Engineering spring 1991 and took a position with Chevron at its Philadelphia refinery.  Then after two years, Chevron sold that facility and Kit transferred to the Hawaii refinery.  (Somebody had to go, he said).  The only drawback on my side was that I couldn’t drive there!  He moved to Oahu, worked hard and rose in the ranks at Chevron so that after ten years he had nowhere [up] to go.  So he transferred to the El Segundo refinery and moved to California January 2011 as the Reliability Manager.   In Hawaii, Kit did a fair bit of travelling all over the world -- including two African safaris.  Todd and I spent Christmas with him last year in his new house. 

       So now I’ll have to learn all about California – fine by me.  I visited Kit in Hawaii many times, beginning in 1997.  I’ve explored Oahu, Maui, Kauii, and the big island of Hawaii.  I’m not sure there’s a historical site I haven’t visited.  But not to worry, I’ll get to go back.  My youngest son Todd picked up stakes and moved to Hawaii in January 2008 to work at... Chevron!

     Todd graduated from Longwood College in 1993. When driving back and forth to deliver or retrieve him, I usually spent a couple of days exploring Virginia. He earned a degree in Math education – yet after several bouts of substitute teaching high schoolers, he decided to look elsewhere for work.  He  managed a restaurant delivery business and was a Dispatcher for a big Atlanta limo company, among other things, but he wanted to do more than manage people.  Chevron Hawaii was looking for Operators, Kit said, so he leaped at the chance to live in “Paradise.”  

     Shift work and Operator duties were certainly a change from the sitting those other jobs entailed.  Last year, Todd took an assignment in the training department teaching the new hires, but still does shift work.  But he doesn’t mind the hard work because the money’s good, and it’s Ha-wai –i!!  

     Kit and Todd are not married . . .yet . . . so no grandchildren . . .yet.  I do have lots of grand-kitties and one grand-dog.  (I know, it’s not the same.)

     As for my jobs – here’s a brief rundown: substitute teacher, medical office secretary, Curator for a small historic foundation, poll worker, substitute teacher, part-time Docent at the Atlanta History Center, and storyteller.  I specialize in Southern Folktales--certainly evidence of that MHP degree!  Some years I made a nice amount, but not enough to live on.   

      However, being a storyteller is how I got my job at the Georgia Aquarium.  Found out through our newsletter that the GaAq was looking for folks who were comfortable talking to people about aquatic life.  This was fall of 2005 – I applied, was interviewed, and was hired, starting on November 17, '05 in the Guest Programs department – a week before the official opening.  Like the majority of folks in this department, I’m part-time, but we earn our pay!  The Aquarium’s had over 14 million people visit in the six ½ years we’ve been open . . . yup, that’s a lot of talking about fish!  And I have an entirely new topic to research  and new ‘museums’ to go to (i.e. aquariums), and new things to teach about – after all, conservation of the oceans is a b-i-i-i-g topic!   

       In case you’re wondering how I can live on part-time pay in Atlanta, I started with Social Security in March 2008 (at 62).  That plus Aquarium pay, some storytelling, and other resources, I’m doing fine. However, I am looking forward to this year’s birthday when I reach FULL retirement age (not that that will change anything much).  I won’t stop working but at least I can say “I’m retired!”

       From mid-December 1997 through the end of January 1998 (a full six weeks!) I was on a freighter ship going down the west coast of South America.  We went through the Panama Canal both ways!  It was to be my mother’s last trip (she’d already sailed 25 times and was closing in on her eightieth birthday) and since her doctor wouldn’t let her go alone, I was drafted.  Didn’t have a steady job to leave, so why not?  Quite the experience!    

       Wouldn’t Miss Edelmira Rivera be proud of how much Spanish I remembered – and my memory did get quite a workout!  I refer to my linguistic ability as speaking “pidgin Spanish.”  It’s helpful down at the Aquarium, too.  (By the way, my father, Class of 1932 I think, had Miss Rivera for Spanish, too!)

        Beginning in 1996, I traveled to Jacksonville quite a lot to help my parents, mostly in 2-3 day trips. My mother passed away in August of 2001, my dad in February 2007.  I know a lot of us have done this for our parents – it’s never easy, is it?

        I’m grateful that I interviewed each of my parents and transcribed them and shared them with my siblings.  That was the start of my association with Ancestry.com.  I have found it fascinating to chase down those rabbit holes. You can never say you’re totally done with your family history, but I’m getting close (or so I’d like to think).  I still enjoy reading, and yes, I have a Kindle. Would like to say I’m a good photographer – I certainly enjoy trying to catch THE picture.

    Finally, no, this is not my first Reunion.  I thought I had attended every one, but in checking found I didn’t make it to the Tenth or the Forty-fifth.   But I will be there for our Fiftieth! 

Does anyone else find that number a bit remarkably unbelievable?