After college at UNO and graduate school at the University of Arizona, I taught in the English divisions at Southwest Missouri State University and Southwest Texas State University and settled in Midland, MI, where my wife Marilyn (Benson High) and I raised our sons and I taught at Delta Community College from 1977-2009. We have two grandchildren in Midland (children of Jeff and Sue Hert) and two grandchildren in Phoenix, AZ (children of Jason and Jodi Hert). Marilyn and I spend seven months of the year in Michigan and winter in Green Valley, AZ. My brother Ron (1958) lives in Fort Collins, CO, brother Gary (1961) in Ralston, NE, and sister Barb Cahow (1967) Omaha. Our mother Florence turns 96 July 6, 2014.

Yes

Read, teach part-time, garden, take walks, travel, spend time with family and grandchildren, visit grandchildren's school classes, work on projects around the house, learn about the Sonora Desert and Southwest, Great Lakes history, and yet keep in touch with all things Nebraska and Omaha.

Most days, not as old as I probably appear to younger folks.

Yes

That besides teaching college composition and literature classes, I specialized in teaching courses in children's literature and preschool literature for over 35 years to adults interested in elementary and preschool education. From 1988-2006 I served as the creator and director of Delta College's Young Authors Day, bringing together professional children's authors from around the country and area school children, teachers, and families. For my YAD work I received two awards for innovation from the League for Innovation in Community Colleges. For my teaching I was fortunate to receive two Bergstein Awards for Outstanding Teaching at the college. When I retired in 2009 I was honored with a ceremony and plaque in the children's literature collection of the college library. The plaque reads, "The Larry Hert Children's Literature Collection." It wasn't all outstanding. I worked hard, a lot of extra hours, and tried to treat students and colleagues well. Not bad for a Tech High grad. In retrospect, I have been fortunate in career and life.

Ms. Powers, English, & Mr. Schuetz, Contemp. Iss.

Lively Contemp Issues, with Mike Green, Julius Menser, and the incomparably wise Mr. Schuetz