Those of you who remember me from high school will recall that I took business classes so that I could get a secretarial job after graduating from high school. There were little funds in my family available for me to go to college so I started working as a secretary. I guess I was pretty good at it -- I was able to get work and lived in several different cities in the United States: Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan; Berkeley, California; and Washington,D.C. Twice I worked in New York City but could not tolerate commuting on the Long Island Railroad.

Two of the jobs that I had were with National Science Foundation grants. After about ten years of pounding on a typewriter, I realized that the only way to make good salary was to get a college education so I applied to theState University of New York at Stony Brook and was accepted there
as a freshman in February of 1966.

Upon graduating from Stony Brook with a BA in 1969, I was offered a first grade teaching position in beautiful downtown Naples, Florida. I packed up my Volkswagen and drove to Florida, arriving here in August, the very hottest, most uncomfortable time of the year. However, I persevered through that first hot, hot summer and fall, and ended up teaching here for 15 years and living here until the present – 33 yearsand still counting. In 1972 I received a MA degree from Florida Atlantic University.

I met and married Richard Sparkman, a fifth generation Floridian, who is an attorney in Naples. We adopted two children (Eric and Cassandra) and then divorced in 1988. Upon becoming divorced I went to work as a foster care counselor for the State of Florida. I retired from theState last December (2001) but continue to work part-time for a private agency that provides therapeutic services for emotionally disturbed foster children. I am currently in the process of becoming a licensed foster parent.

So far, this story has been all about me -- but now I want to tell you about my two children. Eric is almost 23. An extremely bright young man, he is a chemistry major at the University of Florida. My daughter
Cassandra will be 21 in July. She is a computer information systems student at our local community college, works full-time at the local Bed, Bath and Beyond store as a cashier, and has just become engaged to Larry. They recently bought a home not far from where I live.

My totally compelling hobby is genealogy. I have researched both sides of my family quite far back -- one line goes back to the year 80 in Eastern Europe (maybe I am a descendant of Attila the Hun!!!!) I also do a lot of gardening and am currently working at expanding my butterfly garden.

I am looking forward to visiting with all my Huntington High School classmates from theYear of 1956 at the next Reunion.

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