After I graduated from high school my family moved to Jacksonville, FL where my father had a new job. We lived close to the beach where I spent a lot of time that 1st summer. I worked a few temporary jobs then decided to continue my education. I graduated from the University of North Florida in June 1977 with a degree in Liberal Arts. In December of 1977 I began working for Crowley Maritime Corporation, a private owned steamship line with corporate headquarters in Oakland, CA. I am still working there and just completed my 30th year with them. I am a supervisor in the trucking division.
I met my husband, Rob, at Crowley and we married in May, 1979. We do not have any children but we are both animal lovers and presently have 4 cats that we adopted as strays. We had 2 houses in Jacksonville then moved to Atlantic Beach in 1988 where we currently reside. We love the area as we are only a few blocks from the ocean and it is a small active community. Rob now works for a small company right at the beach that develops software for rail car shippers. We recently purchased a scooter to save on gas. Rob will be riding it to work once he gets his motorcycle endorsement.
I became interested in road biking about 10 years ago. We ride 30 to 50 miles on Sunday mornings. I also ride in the MS 150 every year, the proceeds go to research for Multiple Sclerosis. The ride is 160 miles from Jacksonville to Daytona; we stay overnight in Daytona then ride back the next day.
Along with biking, I also run several times a week. I ran my 1st marathon in February, 2008, the 26.2 with Donna. All the money that was raised went towards finding a cure for breast cancer and
to help those who cannot afford treatment. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I have ever had. I plan to run the 1/2 marathon next year, not sure if I will do another full marathon. I also work out at the gym and I love kayaking, horseback riding, hiking and to travel out west. We have good friends in Glacier National Park in Montana and it is one of our favorite places to go.My parents have both passed away. My sister, Barbara, lives in Charleston, SC and has a son Danny who is 19. My brother Jerry lives in Sturbridge, MA and has a daughter Jennifer who just had a baby and lives in Philadelphia, PA and a son, Ian who lives in Burlington, VT.
Special thanks to Valerie for tracking me down. I can't wait to see everyone at the reunion!
Paula
