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I attended University of Wisconsin -Madison and received a teaching degree in natural sciences. In 1970 I moved to Minneapolis, Mn. where I found a part time naturalist position at Woodllake Nature Center.... an eighty acre marsh with a floating bridge and woodland in the middle of the city.. At this time urban nature centers were a new concept and Woodlake acted as one role model for new developing sites. Its was an exciting time. Great staff and created innovative curriculum for preschool through college graduate degrees.
I became a full time employee when I was hired to develop outdoor educational and recreational programs for individuals with disabilities. This was a first for a position to be designated to develop these programs in a city recreation department. It began in Richfield and expanded into a four city cooperative with each community having their own adaptive recreation supervisor. We coordinated our programs and provided a broad range of activities within the four city's recreation programs. The philosophy was to have "a continuum of choice"...from separate programs to integrated opportunities.
As the Community Center Manager another aspect of the position was to develop programs for the older adult. At that time the age was 65. I expanded the existing program from four offerings to over 80 Again a very exciting and expansive time with terrific staff. I received the state" Women of the Year Award" in Park and Recreation.
An outside interest of mine was and is sailing. At this time sailing was a "mans" sport. I attended a sailing class for all women at "Women for Sail" out of Boston. I learned to sail on a 42 foot Gib Sea Sailboat in the gulf of Mexico. I returned to Minneapolis and found a friend had purchased a 32 foot sailboat and was looking to teach women how to sail. (serendipity) Karen and I met, decided to start a sailing school on "live aboard sail boats" . What we needed was someone who could teach. We found our third partner Mary, who was an experienced sailor, and she acquired certification for sailing instruction. "Women in the Wind" did overnight weekend classes on Lake Pepin and once a year took longer trips to Gulf of Mexico, Lake Superior, Greece, etc. We all worked full time jobs and "Women in the Wind" stayed in existance for
ten years. After we sold the business I decided I needed my own sailboat. I found a 32 Foot keel boat in Door County. A fixer upper...I transferred it to lake Superior and met my "life partner" at dock in Port Superior. I moved to Washburn Wisconsin where we currently live. Gene had his own
sailboat..and so we sold his boat. We sailed for eight years on Lake Superior, sold my boat, and now have moved through an RV ownership to finding a winter home in Venice Florida.
