Question: What is your strongest passion aside from your family and beliefs? Answer: I love flowers. I gardened here for 16 years when I first moved here in 2000. The first week I was here, I got a call asking if I could take care of a flower bed outside of my windows. I started out with one little bed, and I ended up with 40 beds by the time I retired from doing it. I loved every day of it, and I was out there every day but Sunday […]

Question: What’s something that sticks out to you as meaningful that you’ve done over the years? Answer: “My husband and I did a lot of travelling together. Later, after our kids were grown up and moved out is when we started. My husband was a geographer and he was really into it, so that’s how we got started – but I loved it, too. It’s infectious. Once you go someplace, it’s easy to think in your mind, “I want to go to that place next!” We went with programs like […]

Question: What’s something that makes you feel strong and confident? Answer: I have been a swimmer all my life and going to the pool here five days a week to water walk has been a blessing because I have had some problems with balance and the water walking has certainly helped. And I walk around campus, too. Depending on the weather, I also walk outside a lot. I try very hard to stay fit and I participate in the balance class and the circuit class and I’m going to try […]

Question: Why is faith and spirituality important to you? Answer: “I was always active in church. I sang in the choir up until this past year, and I’ve been involved in bible study groups and all sorts of activities. I had a mother that died when I was nine, and she was a very spiritual person. She taught Sunday school right there in our house growing up. I don’t even remember much about it, but it was part of who she was, and she passed it on to me. When […]

Question: What is some advice you would give to younger people? Answer: Save your money! I’m from a family of blue-collar Italians from The Hill and it was all about saving money and education. When I got married, we didn’t have any money and I’m very organized, so I made a spreadsheet and everything to keep track of all our utilities and we did live by that. And Wendell wasn’t as much for that as I was, but I could keep him on track. And if he balked, I just […]

Question: What made you decide you wanted to get into law and where did that take you? Answer: When I was about seven years old, my grandfather on my mother’s side was a lawyer. He was a terrific person. I really admired him and I decided at that point I wanted to be a lawyer. I had no idea what lawyers did, but I wanted to be like him. When I first started studying law, I found it fascinating. The first course I took in law school was criminal law […]

Question: Why did you change careers after spending some time as a teacher? Answer: When I went to school I majored in mathematics and business, so things like accounting and salesmanship interested me. I remember I once set up an accounting system for my parents, who were in the insurance business at the time. I ended up becoming a teacher for a while, but when my husband Bob asked me if I wanted to keep teaching or go into the business we eventually started together, I decided I wanted to […]

Question: What are your favorite hobbies? Answer: Oh, I like to read a lot. In fact, last year, I read seventy-five books. This year, I’m kind of behind because, since moving here, I started playing a lot of games, so that takes up my time. I’ve been playing rummikub, ponytail canasta and Chinese mahjong with other people. I’ve met quite a few new ladies. Before, when we lived in our villa, a lot of evenings, I stayed at home, so that’s why I read and I don’t like to watch […]

Question: You mentioned the 4-H Club was important to you. How so? Answer: Growing up, I belonged to a 4-H club. I was shy and wasn’t really sure what I was going to do in 4-H, but someone encouraged me and so I raised chickens, of all things. I got a little more interested from there, so I continued with it for several years and enjoyed it immensely. I actually met my wife Gloria through 4-H, as well. We were on a train to Chicago for a 4-H event when […]