What fills my hours: I teach English to Adult Learners. One of my students, a Syrian refugee with no prior English won a state wide essay contest titled “I would be my dreams”. Unable to obtain a green card in two years, she and her two sons moved to Canada. Another student, a Jamaican raised his reading score from Grade 2, 2 months to grade 6, 9 months. It is very difficult to learn to read as an adult, if you never learned to read in any language as a child.
Family/Children: I married Judy Roorda. We have two daughters: Deborah who lives in Kiev, Ukraine and Molly living in Louisville, Kentucky. Deb has a daughter, Olivia 14 years old and Molly has a daughter, Amelia, who just graduated from the University of Kentucky and a son Nick, who will be a junior at the U of K. In June 1997, I married Pam Klee. She has 4 children, two married two did not. Pam’s married children have 5 kids. We have lots of birthdays to remember!
After Central: I was very lucky to escape the draft. I worked 30 years at a Mail Order company. Worked several of years for a company that sold computer systems to automobile dealerships. Then, work 15 years with a company that helped schools and libraries obtain funding from the Federal Government.
Phi Delta Tau Memories: I came to Pella on the urging of George Smith. We came out to Iowa driving straight through. There was no route 80, just the Pennsylvania Turnpike. I probably thought Iowa was just past Ohio. It was very hot and six of us were jammed into George’s station wagon. When we came through Davenport, I thought we’re there! Nope, three more hours or so to reach the campus. My second year at Central, George introduced me to the Phi Delts and that group of young men enriched my whole experience of college. I enjoyed meeting guys from different towns and States. I heard different accents (think Sheboygan) and met guys whose High School senior class was 15 or 20 kids. I think we worked hard to be a dynamic group on campus with all brothers contributing. We’d get into mischief now and again but hey, we were guys. Phi Delta Tau enriched my years a Central and provided an important learning experience for the rest of my life.