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Member Profiles
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When Sharon Roggy first started telling me about Zonta over a dozen years ago, I had the normal questions everyone seems to have. What does Zonta stand for? Do you really follow the mission of advancing the status of women? Why international? At that point, I wasn't qualified for membership, but in 1993 (when I was promoted to a management position at Penrose Hospital) I attended a meeting...and found out for myself that this was the focus I had been looking for. I haven't looked back since! I was born the oldest of seven children (six girls and one boy), and we lived on 40 acres of land outside a small town in northern Wisconsin. My mother was the "soul" of our family, teaching us the importance of family, sharing, helping others, etc., which has continued to influence my life. Perhaps that's why I was looking for an organization through which I could make a difference (especially in women's lives). |
Growing up in the country taught me a lot about living off the land and giving back to it. My mother canned over 300 jars of vegetables, fruit, and jams each fall, which usually carried us through most of the winter months. Through Mom and 4-H Club activities, I learned to cook, can, sew my own clothing, knit, and embroider. Once I reached high school I discovered there were other things out there to do, including speech and drama, which culminated in my securing the female lead in our senior class play - a real blast and quite an experience for a "shy kid!!"
I was married young (age 20) to a man who entered the Air Force as a 1st Lt. After living on a farm all of my life, it was quite an adventure to move from place to place as a military wife. We started out at Lowery Air Force Base in Denver and then went to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska for our first long tour of duty (just over 3 years). This was probably my favorite place because there were so many new things to discover....a first look at the Northern Lights, growing vegetables that were 3-4 times larger than I'd ever seen, tasting fresh salmon from the local streams, seeing 24 hours of light during the summer and what seemed to be the same amount of darkness in the winter. Because we were far away from the lower 48 (I didn't see my family the entire time we were there), we grew close to our neighbors and developed lasting friendships.
My (then) husband had two overseas solo tours of duty during our marriage - Viet Nam and South Korea - and I chose to live Wisconsin to be near family and old friends for both of those years. Together we also lived in Austin, Texas; Montgomery, Alabama; and Bozeman, Montana. It was in Bozeman that we divorced and I moved to Colorado Springs in 1975 to "start a new life." Within five days of our move, I was hired at Penrose Hospital and, much to my surprise, continued working there for 27 years in various positions within the Cancer Hospital, public relations department and human resources. The hospital system offered me an opportunity to grow tremendously with continued education and advancement - I couldn't have asked for a better work life!
I met my husband Bob 11 years ago and we will celebrate our 9th wedding anniversary in September. I feel truly blessed to have met the "love of my life" and enjoy sharing both quiet times and new adventures with him. We love to golf and travel, and hope to do much more of both as time goes on.
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One of my biggest joys in life has been raising my three sons. My oldest Scott is 37 years old and works for Juniper (based outside of Boston) as Vice President of Systems Engineering for the Americas. He is responsible for 150 engineers throughout North and South America, but he also travels worldwide to present information at conferences and meetings. He is married to Deb, who is a retired Air Force Captain and a software engineer/website designer. My second son Jeff is 35 and is just completing work on his PhD in Animal Science at Washington State University in Pullman. He has completed his written and oral exams and defends on September 20th - my son the DOCTOR!! He was just notified that he has been awarded a postdoctoral fellowship at the same university in something that has to do with "molecular" and "animal reproduction" - don't ask me any more than that because he speaks a whole different language (as does my oldest son). Jeff has one daughter named Katelyn (guess who she's named after!!!) who is now eight years old, going on 25. As my only grandchild, she is the recipient of as many hand-knitted items as I can make each year. Last, but certainly not least, my third son Martin lives in Colorado Springs and works at Micro Metals Manufacturing Co. Because he prefers to work with his hands much more than he likes to go to school, he has discovered his own niche in life, and is perfectly happy in his chosen profession. I have to admit it's a real pleasure to have at least one of my sons within arm's reach - we make a point of scheduling a lunch every other week to stay in touch with each other outside of phone calls and quick visits. |  |
Outside of my home and Zonta, I'm also a Stephen Leader at Bethel Lutheran Church, where I teach congregation members to be Stephen Ministers. Stephen Ministry is a Christian caregiving program to help people going through any type of crisis in their lives. I've been in the program for eight years and find the training has helped me in all areas of my life. Additionally, I teach knitting classes at Knitter's Kove and thoroughly enjoy helping people learn to do what I consider one of life's greatest pleasures.
My 11 years in Zonta has offered me much more than I could have imagined - good friends, projects that make a difference, educational opportunities, and growth. My deepest thanks go out to both Sharon Roggy for introducing me to Zonta and to Betty Edwards for "pushing" me along within the organization. Serving as Gov. Betty's District Secretary and then as Area 4 Director have helped me to build a greater knowledge and understanding of Zonta International and its mission, which, in turn, has reinforced my decision to join Zonta in the first place.