Comments:
If, 50 years ago someone had told me that my life would go in the directions it has, I would have said, “no way, I have this plan . . . “ Yet it did go in directions I could not have imagined, allowing me to do things that I could not have dreamed of doing in high school. Two years after our graduation, marriage; a few years later my daughter Cynthia (Cindy) was born; a few years later, separation, followed a few years later by divorce. single parenthood, unfulfilling jobs, some interesting, most not and struggles. All this, I believe, made me stronger, able to cope and thrive.
I began CSULA in 1960 and quit with my first marriage. Over the years I would take classes at Valley College, Santa Monica College and USC. When Laurence and I married, he often asked me how many more units I needed to graduate. I never knew. One day, I checked and found out that I needed two math classes, two science classes and one science lab to continue to CSUN. If I added a health class, I could participate in the commencement. I went back to school in 2004 and received my AA from Los Angeles Valley College in June of 2007. Graduating with honors, I was one of two student speakers at the Commencement.
On a personal note, my husband, Laurence, and I were married in 1995. Together we have three children, Cynthia, Michelle and Michael and three grandchildren, Yair, Yafit and Oshrat. Cynthia and her husband Naim and their three children live in Israel. The rest of the clan is here. We love to spend time with all of the kids along with my brothers Barry and David, David's two children and Laurence’s parents and his sister Fayla and her husband, Stephen. Family has always been an important part of our lives.
Over the years I've had a catering company, a baking business and most recently have enjoyed designing, producing and selling my hand made, one of a kind, designer knit and crochet scarves, handbags, cover-ups and shawls to boutiques throughout the United States. At this time, i have become passionate about photo restoring and repair. I have done work on many of our family photos
so that they look like they were just taken.
My late parents taught us the importance of giving back to the society. This is a significant part of my life, and I've been known to overdo it. For many years I was very active in the Democratic Party, was elected several times (on the County ballot) to serve on the Los Angeles County Committee and was elected, by the committee, to two terms as Vice Chair. I was an elected member of the Democratic Party's California State Executive Board for several years. I have also served on the board of numerous organizations, including the Greater Los Angeles Jewish Federation, Na’Amat, an organization that supports women’s and children’s centers in the United States and Israel and Stonewall Democratic Club. Recently, I set up a program for Na’Amat which supports a local women’s shelter by donating clothes, household goods and other necessities women and children need to survive.
Besides my family, I am very proud of being part of a small coalition that created the first SART (Sexual Assault Response Team) in the northeast San Fernando Valley. I also created, developed and coordinated Project Chicken Soup, a meal and outreach program for people with HIV/AIDS, which is still thriving, and put together one of the first guides of services available to the HIV/AIDS community.
I believe that in order to keep an organization or program going, we need to work hard, contribute, mentor new members and move on, and I have done just that. At this time, I am still involved on the Board of Na’Amat and part of Stitches from the Heart, an organization whose members knit, crochet and sew baby items, such as hats, sweaters, blankets and clothing. These are given to hospitals and shelters throughout the United States to be given to newborns. Sometimes, these items are the only new things the baby receives. While I don’t keep count of the items I have made, I know there have been many hundreds.
Although I have not traveled everywhere I would like to, besides visiting family in Israel, I have been to Amsterdam, Prague, London, Paris, Zurich and Canada, as well as many states, including a great adventure in Alaska.
I can say that while my life did not go in the directions I thought it would, it has be an interesting, adventurous journey. And, I'm not done yet.
My memories of Montebello high school are numerous and good; all the friends I made, Friday night football games, dances, the senior tree, being Girl’s Sports Editor for our annual and having my first experience with Detention on graduation day. These treasured times have served me well, and I cherish the lifelong friendships dating back all these years.
Since our reunion our daughter and grandson visited us before he began his military service. Laurence and I went on two trips with the Sierra Club, the first in 2009, to Death Valley and then this November, 2010, we went to historical Northern Arizona. Both trips were great, relaxing, informative and fun. Other than these two trips, we have pretty much stayed close to home. We have a some losses, and we are dealing with the aging parent adventure (if we can call it that). In other words, things have been somewhat quiet. That is okay.
