I grew up in a small town much like Littleton in the 1950's,
whose character has been destroyed by rampant development.
None of us wants that to happen to Littleton.
My education and experience have taught me to be open-minded
and well informed before making decisions, to research issues
and ask questions (not just accept what the "experts" say), to be
reasonable, to treat everyone with respect, and to listen to those
that I represent. I believe those qualities are critical in helping the
citizens of Littleton manage the present and direct their future.
Education | Experience | Selected Awards | Personal Narrative
- PhD in Education (CU Denver, 1992)
- MA in English (University of Arizona)
- BA in Psychology (CU Denver)
- BA in English (Western Maryland College, now McDaniel
College) - Academic Management Institute for Women in
Higher Education in Colorado - 2-year Certification program of the International Chair
Academy
- City Council Member at Large, November 2007 - present
- Council Audit Committee
- Council Liaison to the Library Board
- Council Liaison to the Historical Preservation Board
- Council subcommittee to select the City Attorney
- Council subcommittee to establish goals & objectives for the City Attorney
- Council subcommittee to establish goals & objectives for the City Manager
- English professor at Arapahoe Community College (1968-2004), including chair of the English Dept. for 10 years
- management, leadership, shared governance
- officer of the Faculty Senate (20 years, including 3 as president)
- service on college and state-wide Committees in higher education
- consultant-evaluator for the North Central Association of Schools and Colleges, a multi-state accrediting association
2003–05 Who's Who Among America's Teachers
2000–01 Distinguished Faculty Award (first faculty member to receive the award)
2000 Arapahoe Community College Spirit Award for Exemplary Service and a Sustained Commitment to the Promotion of a Collegial Environment (first year award was given; first faculty member to win the award)
1998 The 1998 Colorado Composition and Communication Conference Award for Teaching Excellence (a lifetime achievement award)
1987–88 Faculty member of the year, Arapahoe Community College
1986–87 Faculty member of the year, Arapahoe Community College
1979 Service Award from the 3,000-member Denver Group of the Colorado Mountain Club for activities from 1976–79
1973 One of 30 nationwide recipients of a Federal Education Title VI grant to attend a two-week summer institute for community and junior college teachers at the University of Colorado
1970 One of 20 nationwide recipients of a Federal Education Title VI grant to attend a five-week summer institute for community and junior college teachers at Eastern Washington State College (now Eastern Washington University)
1963 Recipient of Federal Government Incentive Award for a suggestion made while working for the Department of Agriculture (summer)
1963 Alumni Citizenship Award, Western Maryland College
1962 One of 21 participants in a 6-week Student Exchange between the USA and USSR (selected by the National YMCA in national competition)
1959 Valedictorian, Laurel High School, Laurel, Maryland
1959 Alumni Citizenship Award, Laurel High School
I am a proud product of the melting pot: French, German, Scottish, Irish, English, and Native American. If family lore is accurate, all but my Native American ancestors immigrated between 1740 and 1830, driven to this country by religious persecution and/or poverty. During the American Revolution, one of my French ancestors saved the Liberty Bell along with church bells—the British would have melted them down for cannons and ammunition.
My ancestors and current relatives have included people from all walks of life and many religious beliefs.
I was born and raised in Laurel, Maryland. When I was growing up, Laurel was about the same size as Littleton in the 1950's, but its location on U.S. 1, halfway between Washington and Baltimore, and its excellent train and bus service, made it an attractive bedroom community for many residents. But, as has been the fate of so many communities in the Washington/Baltimore corridor, rampant development has destroyed most of its appeal, with traffic gridlock along the major commercial areas and one-way arteries dividing previously charming neighborhoods.
When I was growing up, Laurel was a delightfully situated place. During holidays, my mother took my sister and me to the great department stores to see the decorations and to shop (those stores all closed in the late '60's). When my sister and I were old enough, during school breaks we would take the train to Washington and walk up and down the Washington monument (that was before access was restricted), visit the museums, visit Congress or tour the White House.
My parents were born and raised in predominantly rural areas of the Eastern Shore of Maryland. Because their families were hit hard by the Depression, my parents learned the importance of hard work and frugality, pulling themselves up by their bootstraps, lessons that they taught me. From my mother, I also learned to treat everyone with respect (a particularly important lesson at a time and place where racism was common), to help others in need, and to whistle (figuratively) while you work.
When they married, my parents moved to Laurel, where the future seemed brighter. WWII interrupted their dreams for a brighter future; my father enlisted early in 1944. He was welcomed back to his job after the war. Neither of my parents attended college, yet I never remember a time that they didn't expect my sister and me to attend college.
High school, college, and graduate school are filled with memories, including a summer student exchange with the Soviet Union before my senior year of college.
I was fortunate to have summer jobs from the time I was 16. Several summers I was a clerk/typist with the U.S. Department of Agriculture. One summer in graduate school, I was a secretary-receptionist for an attorney; he tried to persuade me to give up grad school to work for him full-time. But, happily, I couldn't be persuaded.
After I completed my MA at The University of Arizona, I taught two years at Salisbury State College (now University) in Maryland, to repay a state scholarship. Then I was drawn back to the West to teach at the 2-year-old "Arapahoe Junior College." For 36 years, I devoted much of my life to helping ACC and its students thrive.
Enchanted with mountaineering and cross-country skiing, I became very active in the Colorado Mountain Club, where I met my husband, Jim. He has worked in real estate, data systems management, and education. He is currently a professor of political science at Metropolitan State College of Denver. We have lived in the Sterne Park neighborhood since 1977 and are members of Historic Littleton Inc.
Over the years, I continued my education. On my first sabbatical, I earned a BA in Psychology from the University of Colorado at Denver. In 1978, I completed a summer institute at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in teaching technical writing and established ACC's technical writing program. Over the years, I continued to take courses to help me be a more effective teacher. Wanting to be better prepared to utilize instructional technology, in 1988 I began my PhD in Education at UCD, focusing on instructional technology and cognitive teaching and learning strategies. I completed my PhD in 1992, and became the second faculty member to teach online courses.
When I retired from ACC, I turned my attention to Littleton, as Houston Waring had more than once encouraged me to do many years ago. The memory of his dedication to Littleton is partially responsible for my decision to run for City Council.