I AM WHO I WAS
I graduated from PS 33 in Queens Village, NY (8th grade graduation). My Methodist minister father was selected as pastor of the New Canaan Methodist Church (CT), so I graduated again the next year, from Junior High this time. In 1958, I graduated from New Canaan High School (yes, this year will be our 40th reunion which I will be unable to attend).
After visiting various colleges in the mid-west, I chose Ohio Wesleyan University in Delaware, Ohio. Four years later, after graduation (major in psychology), I bought my train ticket for California and headed west - with the grand sum of $50 hard earned money in my pocket.
The American Red Cross hired me after an interview at their headquarters in San Francisco. They offered me my choice of fields--social work, or recreation--since I seemed to be qualified for both. After reading informational manuals on each, I chose recreation - seemed like it would be much more fun -- and recreation field remained my career choice until 1990 when I opted for a self-financed 'retirement.'
That first job was as a Recreation Aide at Madigan General Hospital in Tacoma, WA. I met Gary Turbyfield there (he was a Military Police at the hospital) and in 1963 we were married. Thus began my career as a military wife, following my husband where I could, and 'holding-the-fort' when he was sent on an 'unaccompanied assignment'. Luckily I was able to find jobs in recreation, where ever we went, mostly in therapeutic recreation such as activity directors in nursing homes.
One of my favorite stories of how one should never try to plan anything when in the military was this: While I was still working at Madigan Hospital, Gary came up on orders for Thailand, so I figured that at least we could be in the same continent if I volunteered for duty with the Red Cross in Vietnam. Sure enough, my orders came through for the 12th Evacuation Hospital, Cu Chi, Vietnam, departing March 1967. Gary's orders were changed - he got sent to Labrador! Never again did we try to make plans - just went with the flow!
My year in Vietnam included the TET offensive of 1968, thought by many to be the turning point of the 'war.'
Gwen awaiting her chariot chopper for flight to Cu Chi
Gary was an Army helicopter mechanic, then an Air Force one, so had more than his share of tours in Southeast Asia - but not when I was there!
Our longest time of living together was when he was stationed at Hickam Air Force Base, Hawaii. Those were idyllic days. It was there that I got my first Civil Service position, as a recreation specialist at Kaala Recreation Center, Schofield Barracks, HI.
Sumter, SC was Gary's next assignment, so I went with him. It was from there that Gary retired in 1980. We moved to our 'home-of-choice' - Tacoma, Washington where we had purchased a house in 1966 and had rented out all those years.
It was only one year and one month that Gary got to live there. On May 18, 1981, he died of a sudden heart attack as we were digging a ditch for the electrical line on our property where we had just had a double-wide manufactured home delivered.
After much indecision, I finally decided to continue developing the property, and moved into that home - and I'm still here today.
I am 'retired.' I resigned from my postion as Assistant Director at Fort Lewis Arts & Crafts Center, in 1990. Now I'm busier than ever - how did I ever find time to work!
I am a writer - or more realistically -- I am in the ever-evolving process of writing.
I am a world-traveler. Cruises, tent-safaris, RV-ing, train journeys, cross-country car and plane trips are all part of my itinerary.
I am a soul-mate, chores-mate and having-fun-with mate to Joe Opferman (a genuine GI Joe) whom I met by answering his personal ad in the Ruralite (an electric co-op magazine)!