On Monday morning, Merrilyn invited several former colleagues and friends to join us for coffee and homemade treats at her home. New Mexico State University was my first collegiate position after obtaining my Ph.D. It is also where my first two sons, Matthew and Kevin, were born. This was Flossie's first visit and I had not been in Las Cruces for over 25 years. I had lots of sentimental feelings about that time in my life. I was so busy with first job, first house, first and second baby that I did not have a lot of time for reflecting. I just had to keep moving.
Our First Home
Now looking back I realize what an important personal and professional time it was for me and I am grateful for supportive friends and colleagues who encouraged me to learn and grow. While I was in NM I received a college award for teaching, the state award for New Mexico Home Economist of the year and a national award as an American Association of Family and Consumer Sciences Outstanding Young Achiever. I was awarded a Kellogg Fellowship and as a result experienced leadership development with 40 some professional colleagues from across the country in a variety of fields. I also was promoted and tenured at NMSU. In the six years I was in Las Cruces a lot happened and it was a time of very positive growth for me. I can look back and appreciate what a wonderful time that was in my life, even though it felt like a whirlwind at the time.
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| Organ Mountains and a sample of the painted water towers |
On Monday morning, Merrilyn invited several of those former colleagues to join us for coffee and homemade treats at her home. Again, I had not seen most of them in 25 years. In one morning together 25 years dropped away. We quickly caught up on personal, family and professional lives. We shared losses, successes, major life events and similarities that were parts of all of our lives. Many of my colleagues are retired and shared their active and rewarding lives as retirees. It is a morning I will treasure for the rest of my life. It also gave me a chance to share history with Flossie that she knew but now got to see in real time.
That afternoon I visited NMSU to talk with the Extension people about programs that were currently going on for adults over 55. Like us, there is some programming but the university involvement in limited. NMSU does not have an Osher grant which seems to be the base for the other universities we visited. They do have an exceptional multimedia program and it was fascinating to see how many states they were partnering with (including UConn) to share that expertise. The building where I was housed is totally remodeled. The whole campus has grown and is a tribute to the state of NM and its continued investment in education. A small group of retired people have started a program 20 years ago with administrative support from Dona Ana Community College. They have four sessions a semester on a topic of interest at a local assistive living center. I met with the Chair of their Board. Their attendance is anywhere from 80 to 150 people but they are struggling to recruit more volunteers to keep the program going.
Merrilyn gave us a wonderful tour of all the beautiful places around the area. Old Mesilla is as beautiful as ever. We were so entranced with the Organ Mountains that we took pictures from every angle. Unfortunately, we didn't take enough of the rest of the area. We went to El Paso to get the IPad fixed. Being on the border of Mexico continues to contribute to a smog surrounding the city. El Paso and Las Cruces have grown far beyond what I could have imagined. The schools are architecturally beautiful and all keeping within the Southwest themes. Las Cruces now has four high schools. There was one when I lived there.
When I look at the lives of the many vibrant retirees I met in Las Cruces, I am reminded of the busting of stereotypes of what the "third stage" of life is like. After 20 years of retirement and entering ages in the 80's, these people are still traveling, learning, and enjoying a full life. They care for others and volunteer in organizations that are making generous and needed contributions to their communities. They are vital not only to their communities but serve and look after each other.
I am blessed to remain in contact with Merrilyn over the past 25 years. She has visited me in my many moves across the country and we have seen each other through professional connections. As I reflect on my life, I owe Merrilyn so much. She was the leader of our department and valued me for the contributions I made. I am quite sure she was the author or contributor to every award I received and wrote me many letters of recommendation. She is the ultimate mentor, colleague, friend, and supporter. She is also a tremendous host. Thank you, Merrilyn. I hope you know how much you mean to me and how grateful I am that you are part of my life journey.
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| Merrilyn effervescent educator concerned caretaker giving Grammie learned listener fabulous friend vital, vivacious, valued Merrilyn |
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