Pherby Graham Higgins

Yes

My latest updates:

1. My oldest son graduated from the USAF Academy in CO, and shot for their NCAA Rifle Team. He is also on the US Men's National Rifle Team. In 2015, his USA team won a gold at the Championship of the Americas in Guadalajara. He competed in the 2016 Olympics in Rio as a member of the USA Shooting Team!!!! Currently serving as a US Marine.

2. Second son played D-1 soccer for Cal Poly Univ in San Luis Obispo and is in a Doctorate of Physical Therapy program in Provo, UT.

3. Husband retired from the USMC in 2017 after 30 years of active duty.

My history: Let's see, since 1978, I received my BS in Business and Distributive Education from UNC-G in 1982. I taught high school in Trinity for 4-1/2 years and then moved to Baltimore in 1987 to see what life in a big city was all about. In Baltimore, I was a Director of Education for 17 schools and then a Personnel Manager for a structural steel fabricating company. I married my Marine husband, David, in 1991 and immediately moved to a tropical island in the South Pacific (Guam), where I got a job as a Program Manager (people programs, not computers) with the Air Force. We moved to Camp Pendleton, CA (north San Diego county) and I worked as a Career Counselor for the Marine Corps. I got my MS in Educational Administration from National University in San Diego in 1994 (even ran into Donzell there). I've either lived in or visited 18 countries and 37 states, so I guess you can say I've been around. I am the proud mother of 2 California-born boys. Other jobs I've had are a program analyst for the Marine Corps, a multi-million dollar real estate producer in VA and in CA, and an "on-the-go Mom". Taught online courses for Grand Canyon University, and supervised some of their student teachers for 11 years. As a military spouse, I became a true chameleon. Was a Deployment Readiness Coordinator for 1stCEB (Marines Corps) for 3 years. Loved it!!

Many of you may remember me as Pherby Tate from Mendenhall. That was my step-father's last name and my mother wanted us to all have the same last name. My parents split up at the end of ninth grade and we moved to GA. They got back together at Christmas, so we returned to Greensboro. This time, when my mother enrolled me at Page, she used my birth/legal name, so that is how I transformed from a "Tate" to a "Graham". These days, nobody cares if you don't have the same last name as your parents!

Even though I didn't get elected to be class secretary, I made a promise during my election speech that I would be the one knocking on your door in 50 years to come to a reunion. Who knew?? Thank goodness for the internet!

Do you remember going by Mr. Winfield's room and meowing? How about Social Service Seminar with Mrs. Poor? Hanging out at Village Inn Pizza? Band rehearsals at Mrs. Carter's house? Section 126 at the coliseum? Festival seating? The optical illusion ramp on Hwy 220? Driver's Ed with Mr. Morrow? Nobody believes me when I tell them we actually had a driving range at our school where we drove cars around an obstacle course.

If I could do it all over again, I would not graduate in December and miss out on all of the cool spring senior events. Just had to go to work and make money for college, silly girl!

I wish I had kept up with y'all through the years, but life had a funny way of taking over. So, now that I've got some time, I'm enjoying reconnecting and maintaining contact.