2022 - 50th After high school, I went to Allegheny College in Meadville, along with Dan Cathey and Eileen Daley, with the intent to major in chemistry, and then enter veterinary school. Well, I did earn a B.S. in chemistry and loved it so much that I volunteered to be the organic lab assistant and lecturer. With that and teaching the 8th grade Sunday School class at the local Presbyterian Church, I discovered I had a passion for teaching – so instead of becoming a veterinarian, I decided to teach high school chemistry. My first job was near Meadville in a small rural community, Linesville High School, right on the banks of Lake Pymatuning. I loved teaching science, enjoyed coaching, and running with the girls’ cross-country team, and even started a theatre program. (Julian T. Meyers I wasn’t, but we had fun.) I was never in trouble at Washington, Mellon, or high school, but somehow in Linesville, I was called into the principal’s office several times for verbal spankings. Ouch – had no idea I was such a rebel. It was in my third and final year there that I met this country boy who was subbing in his old high school. He asked me out in front of my advanced chemistry students (very uncool), and I tried ditching him several times but fortunately was not able to get away – Terry Eddy has been my dear husband for the last 41 years. He likes to tell people that we met in high school. After three years at Linesville, I quit teaching and took a job as a research chemist for the Gulf Research & Development Company in Harmarville, PA. My dad was terribly disappointed that I had chosen to be a useless teacher instead of a super-cool veterinarian so I had to prove to myself – and to Dad – that I could do something besides teach. I synthesized and characterized catalysts that facilitated the conversion of carbon monoxide and hydrogen into diesel fuel. The work was fascinating, my bosses were wonderful, my colleagues were congenial, my salary was doubled – and I missed my students terribly. After five years (1980-1985), I quit on a Friday and our first son was born on the following Monday. Figuring those five years were enough proving, I then became a part-time teacher for my church’s school. In 1987, we moved from Pittsburgh (really Gibsonia at the time) to Columbus, OH to help with a church there. Terry worked in facility management and maintenance, and I taught in their school. Our second son was born that year, and even though I wondered how any other city could possibly be as good as Pittsburgh for raising children, we learned to love Columbus and found it to be a great family place as well. In 1993, I began teaching at Westerville South High School, in the 10th largest school district in Ohio and stayed there until I retired in May 2020. I taught chemistry, AP chemistry, and materials science. Oh my – wouldn’t Dr. Beck roll over in his grave to know that I was teaching AP chemistry? Ha! I was also the adviser for Student Council, the Academic Quiz Team, the Young Conservatives, Interact (high school arm of Rotary), and STEAM club. I organized a Science Partners program where my high school students taught elementary students with fun, hands-on science activities twice a month. Win-win for all! As you know, being retired doesn’t mean you quit working – you just get to choose what you do. And I’m so proud of our Class of ’72 for so many of you choosing to give back to your communities! I teach a chemistry and biology class at a homeschool academy on Mondays; tutor public school students virtually throughout the week; am in charge of our church’s Children’s Ministry so I write curriculum and teach Sunday School lessons; and I work for Heartbeats, a pregnancy health center, teaching high school health classes several times per month in a program called, “Relationships Under Construction.” This summer, I’ll be in charge of our Vacation Bible School program and also teach a week-long workshop for teachers who want to learn Materials Science. Terry and I moved out to Johnstown, OH in 2019 - so finally after living in cities for 38 years, my country boy husband is living in the middle of 74 acres of beautiful woodland and meadows. And yes, this city girl wife likes it too. Would we rather live somewhere without ice and snow in the winter? Yes! But living close to our sons, Chip and Daniel, and our grandson, Archer, so we can enjoy each other often is worth more than any warm weather! We have miles of cut trails so if you’re passing through and want to enjoy hiking through a private park where your dog doesn’t have to be on a leash, please stop by to see us! 2012 - 40th Thanks to the committee folks for all the hard work you have put into this reunion. I can't even imagine how many hours you all have spent - and those drinks that you owe people - well, I think they need to be buying YOU a drink! I've attached my bio and a photo from my dad's 90th birthday party that we recently celebrated. Perhaps some of my classmates who attended South Minster Presbyterian Church will remember him; he’s still going strong at 90! Thank you and see you in a couple of weeks. I graduated from Allegheny College in Meadville in 1976 with a BS in chemistry and although I had wanted to be a veterinarian for many years, I loved chemistry too much to give it up and so became a high school chemistry teacher. (I know – my fellow classmates from AP chemistry are snickering, but I DID go back to talk to Mr. Jaklich – NOT Dr. Beck - about it and he was very supportive.) I started off in rural northwestern PA in Linesville High School and even though I really enjoyed the teaching, I decided I had to prove to my dad (who was terribly disappointed that his daughter wasn’t a cool vet) and myself that I could do something besides teach so I came back to Pittsburgh to work for the Gulf Research & Development Co as a research chemist for five years, 1981-85. It was twice the pay for half the work, but I knew I was supposed to be teaching – I tell my students that they all have internal job descriptions and that’s what they’re supposed to be doing with their lives. I’ve won several awards for my teaching, but the greatest reward for me has been when my students care enough to return to tell me about the paths they’ve taken since high school. I’m presently teaching Chemistry and Materials Science at Westerville South High School, a suburb outside of Columbus, OH, but I’ve also taught in an inner city, rural, charter, and Christian school, and even home-schooled my boys for a couple of years. (Their remark after two years was, “That was great, Mom – now can we go back to real school?”) I also joined ASM, the Materials Society, so in my summers I travel to various cities to run weeklong workshops to encourage teachers to incorporate Materials Science into their curriculum. I met Terry Eddy at my first teaching job in his old high school, Linesville, - the city girl met the country boy and hoo-boy, it was a clash of the cultures at first, but I’ve now been married to my best friend for 31 years. Terry is a commercial building maintenance man, who is a mechanical genius and a beekeeper. We have about 600,000 bees and lots of raw honey for sale! We have two sons, Chip, 27, and Daniel, 24. Chip is a full-time Air National Guardsman, who enjoys being deployed but hopes to become an air traffic controller in civilian life someday. Daniel is an Army National Guardsman (who did NOT like being deployed for a year in Iraq) and is now finishing his degree in communications at The Ohio State University. We moved from Pittsburgh to Columbus, OH in 1987 to help out with a church planting, and at the time, I was sad that the boys wouldn’t be brought up in Pittsburgh, but Columbus turned out to be a great family town too – and our boys now have dual citizenship in both the Buckeye and Steeler nation. Looking forward to seeing everyone!