Trying to 'catch-up' from + or - 50 years ago is a bit of a stretch, but I'll try, so here goes.

After graduation, Mason City Junior College had me for two years and then off to Mankato State for a year and two summer sessions. During Thanksgiving break that year, I met with Kay Minkner and we were over in Mason City in her Volkswagon bug and got into a car accident which put me into the windshield and jammed my knees into the dashboard. (Just for the record, the accident was NOT our fault. We got broadsided from our left by some kid who ran a red light). Needless to say, I could not finish that semester as all of my classes were activity classes, so I dropped out of school, got a job with Kraft Foods in New Ulm, Minnesota making single sliced cheese for $2.56 per hour!! With that hourly wage, I was paying rent and eating and bought my first car.

I stood the life of the factory laborer for 6 months and decided that I actually didn't like that job and came home. I started working for Neal the Cleaner and was there for four years. When I realized I was getting nowhere fast, I applied at St Joseph Mercy Hospital in June of 1970 and I've been there ever since. My first two years were spent doing inhalation therapy, so I started 'passing gas' for a living (and the pay was better than I was used to). After five years of learning 'on-the-job', I studied and passed the National Board for Respiratory Therapy exam and the pay got even better.

At the time of this writing (early September, 2008), I am almost 1/2 way through my 38th year at Mercy Medical Center - North Iowa (formerly St. Joseph Mercy Hospital for those who haven't been back home in awhile) working in the capacity of a Certified Respiratory Therapist. I haven't decided when I plan on retiring; if I continue to maintain reasonably good health, I may just "keep on truckin' ".

I've never married but I broke off 2 engagements and am still in touch with one of 'my guys'. He is married with two grown children and lives in Washington state. I do have 6 nieces and nephews AND one GREAT niece and one GREAT nephew. Even though I have no children, I DO have two four-legged Papilions.

Life Highlights: Passing my National Board Exam for Respiratory Care and attending numerous Southern Gospel Concerts and seeing the friends I've made over the years. I also took two separate trips to the Great Smoky Mountains to see some friends that I'd met through the concerts.

Memories from High School days: Would definitely include all the Tuesday and Friday night games and all the pep buses I rode on... I remember on the return trips that those who

participated in chorus sang "You'll Never Walk Alone", and I was thankful that it was dark in the bus as that song has always made me shed a little tear. In those days, we didn't have organized girls sports, so my only outlet was GRA. We always had a lot of fun playing basketball and volleyball. And I also remember the GREAT 3-MONTH VACATION in the summer!!! Those were definitely "The Good Ol' Days"!!!!!