Comments:
I’ve lived 50 years since high school graduation! How can that be? What in the world did I do all that time?
Oh, now I remember…I got on a train in August of 1959 and rode to NE Iowa for a college education. I graduated, married Ron Fretheim (who was studying to be a Lutheran pastor), taught Latin and History, and had 2 daughters. Those events started me on a fifty year journey and influenced everything I have done.
Ron and I have lived in four Midwest communities – each unique: Chicago urban, Iowa small town, Minneapolis suburb, and Madison, WI. Now we have retired to Decorah, Iowa – from whence we got our start at Luther College 46 years ago. We spend 3 months in Arizona during the winter.
Over the years I’ve been challenged with raising very independent daughters, learning new skills in various interesting jobs, meeting and becoming attached to many good people and then moving to a new community, and having amazing travel experiences often because of those independent daughters!
Ron and I have traveled from the North Cape of Norway to the Southern Cape of South Africa, east to Kuwait, and as far west as China…. with many jaunts in between.
Like many of you, I suspect, I never imagined how much I would see and do in 50 years or how young I would feel at 68! I know I don’t look young, but I do feel young!
My pleasures now include maintaining a 1926 Sears Roebuck home in Decorah, Iowa where my collection of refurbished antiques feels at home, caring for a yard full of perennials and watching two precious granddaughters grow: a 1 year old in Minnesota, and an 11 year old in Norway. I play lots of golf, am a docent at a Norwegian-American Immigration museum, sing in a women’s chorus and continue to travel.
Living in Lake Oswego and attending LOHS were certainly good early influences in my life. I am thankful for loyal, caring friends, good teachers, and stiff competition at LOHS – all of which prepared me for 50 interesting years.
