Diana Broden Prola

At Christmas in my Junior Year Pat Thomas gave me a "voo-doo doll" (pet rock of 1958!) Anyway, she started dating Mike Fike--I had a crush on him, so I stuck a pin in the voo-doo doll's leg. Two days later Mike broke his leg in a gymnastics meet! Well, of course, we felt bad, but it was a coincidence. So later in the year Jim Johnson and I both applied to be Sports Editor of the school newspaper. I stuck a pin in the voo-doo doll's wrist to give Jim writer's cramp. A couple of days later Jim broke his arm. I buried the boo-doo doll in the backyard. Too creepy for more comments. (Sorry, Jim and Mike, after all these years.) (I did get to be Sports Editor in our Senior Year.)

I went to Mt.SAC and then transferred to Cal, Berkeley as an English major. Later got a Master's Degree and 5 different credentials, plus 365 graduate units ( what can I say? I like to go to school.)
I taught school (all grades from 1st to community college, and 8 subjects in high school, and was a principal in a Catholic school) for 40 years. I married Jim and we have been married for 45 years, with 3 great children and the 4 most beautiful grandchildren
in the entire world!
At various times I published several articles, travelled on 4 continents, and started painting and selling my work in the last 7 years.

Two artificial knees, but otherwise I'm in pretty good shape (thank God!)

Chocolate (especially M&Ms and dark Dutch chocolate).

See voo-doo doll above!

Nothing to dislike (except the knee replacements which are now fine.) This is the greatest age I've ever been, although I occasionally wonder why I'm older than the last 4 presidents of the U.S.

Lots of politicians (Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, John Kerry, Howard Dean and most of the current CA state officials.) Oh, yeah--for you who are Republicans, my mom dated Ronald Reagan's brother, and my Dad's mother used to babysit with Nixon's daughters. Ah, politics! Also met several movie stars when I was younger (Robert Wagner, wentNatalie Wood, Paul Newman.) And I sat next to Martin Sheehan at a funeral a couple of years ago.

Read, write, paint (have had my own shows locally and won awards at 2 art festivals.) Involved in a lot of political events. I try to read a book a week and go to the gym at least 3 times a week. Still doing quite a bit of traveling--Jim and I to Iceland in August 2015.

My husband is the Vice Mayor and I was elected as president of the San Leandro School Board, and as a member of the Democratic Central Committee in Alameda County. I have been a delegate to the California Dem Convention for the last 12 years. I was listed in Who's Who in American Education 8 different times, and I published articles, poems and short stories in a number of magazines.

I went parasailing once, I used to do a lot of white water rafting, and I hiked through the rainforest in Belize a couple of years ago when my son was in the Peace Corps.

Probably when our first baby was stillborn. I don't think I have ever felt so helpless.

I'm guessing Anti-War protests don't count?????

I graduated from U.C. Berkeley and came back to the Bay Area to get married.

Europe, Central and South America, Asia (Turkey), and Tahiti. I've also been to the Kentucky Derby, the Mardi Gras and about 38 of the states.

I wish I'd gotten my PhD, learned to scuba dive, and would like to go up in a dirigible (Do they still have dirigibles?) I also wish I had continued writing and publishing articles and stories.

Bill Bockrath, Howard Robbins,Jon Cohee, Tom Poole, Susan Zimmer, Lynn Reardon,Mimi Bennett, Linda Kennedy, Martha Zehrung. And I would like to know if anyone knows what happened to Roger Black--I just found out on this site that he had died.

Love Story (I cried), A Man and a Woman (I cried), and lots of other schmaltzy ones (I usually cry!)

I am the world expert on the Sylphs in "The Rape of the Lock", which only proves that there is absolutely no reason to ever write a Master's Thesis on 18th Century poetry!

Teaching for forty years without getting burned out. That was the best possible career--I wouldn't have changed a minute of it.

In 7th grade I received the Complete Works of Shakespeare--it affected my whole education and choice of majors and careers.

I usually read at least a book a week, so it's hard to pick favorites. I like to read historical fiction and international intrigue for light reading, but I read all kinds of stuff.

Broke my thumb when I fell on a tennis ball, as I was running backward to hit a lob.

On my way to a physics class at Cal. I stopped at the drugstore to buy some M & Ms and everyone was gathered around a radio. Someone said, "The president's been shot" and I said, "The president of what?" because the whole idea was so foreign to all of our experience.
I think all of America grew up that day.

I went to a Raider's game once. (My Dad used to play for Detroit, but that was before I was born.)

Yes, the 20th, 40th and 45th and 50th. I was at the 70th birthday party, too. I'm sorry I missed the last one, but it conflicted with a family reunion.

Studied harder, eaten less sweets, exercised more, and travelled even more than I did! And I'd have maybe gone into politics a little sooner.

Born in Iowa, but my memory is a little foggy on the event. My Dad was drafted right after that.

Jim and I met at Cal, but it took us 8 years to finally decide to get married. We both dated a lot of other people, and I was engaged twice before we got it together. On the other hand, we've been married 47 years, so something worked for us. The nicest part is to be able to say that he's my best friend and my soul mate. I have been truly blest in knowing and loving him.

Help my daughter through a pregnancy where she was hospitalized in Seattle for three months. She was at a wedding up there when she started bleeding and contracting, and they thought she would lose the baby. I was worried that he would be brain-damaged due to a very difficult birth. I am happy to report that he has just finished 2nd grade and is reading 6th grade-level books like Harry Potter by himself!

Nope, but we took our kids and now grandchildren every year. (I still hate the camping part, but I value the family time.)

I went to a formal dance on the back of a motorcycle in my senior year of college.What was I thinking?

Yeah, but I think I've repressed it.

A man wanted to hire someone to paint his large, wrap-around porch, so he put an ad in a newspaper. A blonde answered the ad and offered to pain it for a reasonable fee, so he hired her. Two hours later she returned and said she was finished. "Wow, that was fast," he said. "Oh," replied the blonde, "I actually had time to put two coats of paint on it. But it took me a little longer than I thought, because I had to figure out which one was the Honda and which was the Porch!"

I moved to Covina from Iowa in the summer of 1956 because my parents met in CA during the war and wanted to come back. Also, my aunt and uncle and 3 cousins had moved to Covina the previous year, so that's why they chose Covina. I started high school at CHS that year.

My daughter went to Cal and in her senior year she called to tell me that it was very embarrassing to look at a photo display of the antiwar marches in the 60s and see her parents "leading the parade!" So yes, I marched against that war, and against the Iraq war in San Francisco. I have to admit to being a pacifist--but never a hippie.

My boy cousins used to call me "Banana"--it made me crazy.

No, but if I had one, I wouldn't say where!

Yes, as a child. My dad was once a circus clown with Emmett Kelley (before my time!) He had a lot of different jobs during the Depression (my Dad, that is--not Emmett Kelley.)

Les Miz, Phantom, Camelot, My Fair Lady, The Producers, etc.

Ballroom dancing (like they do on Dancing with the Stars). Also, I know how to play the guitar, but I wish I were good at it--and I always wanted to learn to play the piano. Oh, well--maybe in my next life.

My problem is I'm not rich, but I pretty much have everything I want/need. It's really hard not to be able to think of anything to spend much money on!!! I do tend to buy an extraordinary number of books.

In my sophomore year I had a crush on Pete Boyer. Don't ask me why, because I don't think I ever even talked to him.

Yes, twice. I taught Government for many years, and decided I needed to go.

English, Biology and U.S. History. Mr. Palmer (Bio) and Mr. Atwood (Hist.) had a big effect on the way my life turned out.

Yes

My husband and my Dad , both of whom are the most caring and kind people I have ever met.

Of people I don't know, I admire Thomas Jefferson, Howard Dean, Saint Therese, William Shakespeare and Pope Francis (I really like his efforts to bring the church into the 21st century!)

Well, if I could see Santa this month, I'd ask him to bring my kids and grandchildren home safely from Spain. I guess that'll be a useless request by December. Maybe I could use a few less wrinkles!

Being alive and healthy, having the family that I have (and had!). I've been very fortunate in my life.

Yes, to all of these.

Pope Francis--he's the kind of religious leader who cares about his fellow man and about renewing faith the way it should be.

To live long enough to see my grandchildren grow up.

To get rid of my sweet tooth!

To take a trip completely around the world.

Crusader Rabbit!

I don't remember the year, but Jim got some fireworks and was going to set them off at Clear Lake because they flew up in the air. He went way out on the dock, aimed them at the Lake, and they shot up, swerved around and went into the brush above our cabin. Lesson: watch fireworks on TV!!

Love lots, read everything you can find, learn to do one thing well, and lots of things well enough to make you happy. Be kind.

Someone who knows how to kill snakes!

This year I'm going to Clear Lake for a week, to the Lair of the Bear (Cal Alumni Family Camp) for a week and
somewhere in Europe.

A writer. I was going to write the Nobel prize-winning novel, but it's hard to buy groceries when you haven't finished the novel.

I seem to be about 22 most of the time--I think it has something to do with the Theory of Relativity.

Photos of my parents.

Caring

Thoughtful

Creative

Set up a scholarship fund, give some money to City of Hope (my mom died there) and travel around the world.