As for me............where to begin? Trust me, It's complicated!!!

Following graduation, I attended Florida State University. I married after my Freshman Year, divorced the next year (OOPS -- having made a BIG mistake, I corrected it A.S.A.P.) and went back to FSU where I finished my degree in 1965 with a double major in Sociology and Social Science and a double minor in History and Psychology. As you can see, it didn't exactly prepare me for the work force. In spite of that, I soon got a fabulous job with a California company which involved teaching classes for the corporation throughout the U.S. and Canada. After a year-and-a-half of almost constant travel, I found I had no social life at all and returned to Sarasota. About six months later, in 1968, I was introduced to a Sarasota man, Bill Rudnick. We married in 1969 and had our darling daughter, Julie, in 1970. We were enormously happy but, after barely nine years of marriage, this fine man died of cancer at the age of forty-three. I was devastated. Thank God for my faith and my precious seven-year-old daughter who kept me going through this difficult time.

Two years later, in 1980, I was introduced to and married a wonderful man from Columbus, Ohio, Bill Licklider. He was a widower with six children!!! Yes, I did say SIX...for a total of seven!!! When we married their ages were 7, 9 (Julie), 14, 15, 17, 19, and 20 -- five girls and two boys. Now if you had told me, when I was back in high school, I would be a mother of seven children I would have told you "YOU HAVE THE WRONG GIRL......NOT ME!!!" Little did I know!!! We married in the winter and this Florida girl became an Ohio resident amidst the ice and snow. (And, Joe Mickler, if you remember showing me your annual, you will recall "snow" was definitely not my thing!!!) It's for sure only love could have made me leave my home in the "Sunny South" for a new home in the "Oh-So-Frozen North" to marry a man with six children!!! I remember telling my husband, "I thought dinner for nine was a dinner party......not dinner every night!!!"

In spite of our large family, Bill and I were fortunate to do quite a bit of traveling although I sometimes recall referring to it as....."Leaving home in self defense!". In addition to that, I may be one of the only people who has ever attended Ohio State University basketball games for peace and quiet...  (and, yes, I'm laughing!)

And now a lot of years have passed by and our children have families of their own. My husband and l were married twenty-four amazing and quite wonderful years before he passed away six-and-a-half years ago. This time it was sudden. Again, I was devastated! Again, I am thankful for my faith which keeps me going and for my family which I consider a very great blessing. I now have thirteen grandchildren! Birthdays and anniversaries keep me reaching for my calendar and, yes, Hallmark and Toys R Us just LOVE to see me coming!

In closing, I now spend quite a bit of time back in Sarasota. As a result, I was able to have the
pleasure of working on the reunion and renewing old friendships. It was great fun and I can't
tell you how excited I am about our 50th! I am looking forward to seeing all of you in October!!
 

I AM UNDER CONSTRUCTION HERE IN OHIO AND MOST EVERYTHING IS BOXED AND IN STORAGE. THIS IS ONE OF THE FEW PHOTOS I COULD GET MY HANDS ON. IT WAS ACTUALLY TAKEN LAST CHRISTMAS 2009....NOT 2008. ON MY
LEFT IS MY DAUGHTER, JULIE, HER HUSBAND, ZAC, AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN. ON MY RIGHT IS DAUGHTER, DIANE, HER HUSBAND, CLARK, AND THEIR TWO CHILDREN. SANTA, OF COURSE, NEEDS NO INTRODUCTION!