I was born in Neenah, Wisconsin, but at the age of 3 moved with my family to San Rafael, California, where I grew up. In 1959, I visited Germany for the first time, as a summer exchange student with the Experiment in International Living. Living with a family in Aalen, near Stuttgart, gave me a good dose of language immersion (I resisted learning German as a child, because Dad and Mom and the relatives used it so often to discuss topics they wouldn't share with me), and when I returned to the U.S., I decided to pursue my undergraduate degree with a major in German.

I attended the University of California, Berkely from 1959-1962, and then moved with my husband Jon to the state of Idaho just before my senior year. There I finished three degrees at the University of Idaho in Moscow, spread out considerably, from 1963 to 1999. I completed my bachelor's degree in 1963, Master of Arts (English) in 1976, and Ph.D. (Higher Education Administration) in 1999.

We realized a dream to live "in the country" in 1965, when we moved to West Twin Road at the base of the timber on Moscow Mountain. Jon had a passion for stewarding our land, and his early retirement in 1989 allowed him time to cultivate a paradise for us. He finished law school at the UI in Moscow in 1966 and worked first as a private attorney then as the UI attorney until he gave up his profession for his avocation. He was a happy member of the "working wives club" after that, tending our 200 acres, which formerly included a tree farm, and working on writing a novel. He was an excellent "house spouse." Every working spouse needs one!

In 2008, he was diagnosed with a rare form of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, called Waldenstroms Macroglobulinemia. He went in and out of remission and held on bravely until December 29, 2015, when he died at home in my arms, with family members present. 

Our two sons, Ted and Sam were born and raised in Moscow, but live now in Washington state -- Ted, and family in Tacoma, and Sam and family in Seattle. Between the two families, I have five grandsons. Grayson, Hal, Braddock, Morrik, and Bower.

I worked at Washington State University  (WSU) for 29 years as a writer and development officer.  My last role was as director of foundation relations with the WSU Foundation. I led a team of grant developers in planning and facilitating partnerships between WSU and private foundations whose philanthropic missions are synergistic with selected university programs.I retired in 2012 and have had a varied life that has included bike, car, plane, and foot travel, both domestically and out of the country.