What's Up:
First of all,
I go by "Barbara" now. Why did I ever think "Barby" was a cool
name? How embarrassing! I seem to be enjoying many of the same
wonderful activities that I've been reading about in my fellow
farmers' bios, that glorious retiree lifestyle that good health and
a pension allow. I am reminded of just how fortunate we all are.
I, too, have done international travel to China, Russia, Australia,
Costa Rica, Canada, Mexico, Greece, Italy, the Alps, Provence, and
I've walked and explored the homeland of all my ancestors, England
and Scotland. As other Farmers have noted, travel enriches both
life and spirit. The last few years I've traveled with various
groups of friends that hike/walk the foreign countryside and towns,
rather than tour. This is a terrific way to really see a country
and its people and customs, even if you don't cover as many
"sites". Going further, I've also participated in a medical mission
for the Mayan Indians in the rural highlands of Guatemala. My
family asks me "why do you travel so far away to hike when we've got
the best hiking right here in the Rocky Mountains?" Too true. So,
of course I love walking and hiking here at home, even taking
advantage of Denver's amazing "greenway trails" like Sand Creek and
the Highline Canal.
I think travel probably inspires photography in all of us. I
certainly have had the "bug" for years. Even before I "went
digital" I averaged about 1500 photos each trip, all of which I love
to share with friends and family...sometimes to their distress...in
elaborate scrapbooks and computer slideshows!
Music is a big part of my life, both as a player and as an audience
member. I love the symphony, the ballet, recitals and concerts of
all kinds, and I've newly discovered how fantastic opera really is
(if you can get past the plots!) I play piano, solo and as an
accompanist. Finally, after all those intense years of 60 hour plus
work weeks that prevented it, I actually have time to practice!
I do some volunteer work, Phi Beta Kappa Alumni Association and
Denver Parks-Forestry, but I need to do more and am trying to
organize my time better. As many of you have observed, "I'm so busy
as a retiree, how did I ever find time to work?"My Occupation:
After reading
many of the Class of '65 bios, I am struck with what wonderful lives
we all have. So many accomplishments, contributions, great
families, and still going strong. I guess that middle-class, white,
suburban, quality education our Jeffco School District gave us in
the 60's really laid a foundation for success. I think I remember a
statistic of well over 70% of us going directly to college after
graduation. I went to CU on a tuition scholarship. I remember it
paid about $600 a year ...full tuition!! I don't think that would
buy books today, would it? I graduated in theoretical mathematics
and was pursuing a masters' degree, when IBM interviewed on campus.
They made me an offer I couldn't refuse. Actually, it was thanks in
part to EEO. The IBM recruiter said they now needed "women" in
their technical ranks. So again, how fortunate to have lived in the
baby boomer/civil rights/feminist era!! I never really used my math
skills, other than logical thinking and problem solving, but I
stayed with IBM for 32 years as a computer specialist. It was a
wonderful career. I learned new things every day, every year, and
the job changed all the time, as did the industry - programming,
database, system design, system analysis, applications, networks,
all that fun stuff. I got to travel all over the United States on
assignments. I retired in 2002.
My Family:
I was married
to a wonderful man for 30 years. He's a university professor, and
we're good friends. We divorced in 2000. No children, but I've
always been an enthusiastic and indulgent pet parent. I live in a
great 80 year-old house in that most amazing of neighborhoods, Park
Hill, in Denver. I moved into the house in 1972 because Park Hill
was so vibrant and special: multi-racial, multi-ethnic,
multi-everything. It was even written up in a 1960's Time magazine
article as one of the best, most successfully integrated
neighborhoods in the country. The bank told me I was the first
single woman they let qualify for a mortgage loan without a
husband's or a father's co signature! Again, the wonders of living
in the revolutionary 60's. I still love life in Park Hill, and I've
never left. Favorite Memories:
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