March 2008: Len and Jan on 25th Anniversary Cruise
around Cape Horn, South America
1947
My Life
in Pictures
(no "ugly duckling pics included!)
1942
1954
1960
1966:  First baby
Andrea
1963
Marion
and
Dora
Bostick
(who made
it all possible)
Jan's Page
ca. 1972
1975: Camping, Mount Rushmore
1968:
Andrea
and Bobby
1968:
Newborn
Jonathan
1977:
Yes,
"bookish"
1981: Graphic
Designer
US Customs
Service
1982: Ready for
Submarine
Birthday Ball
1975:
At Betty's,
Allenspark,
Colo.
1975: with
husband #2,
Sausalito,
Calif.
1977
1984: Andrea, ready for
Senior Prom
1984:
Born to dance
1984:
Relaxed
after Len's
daughter's
wedding
1983:
Our First Honeymoon,
Baltimore
1986: Jon, ready for
Senior Prom
1989:
We do have
fun!
1985: Bro
Koyce
readies
Jan's hair
for photo as
Bro Glenn
looks on
1990:
Happy New
Year!
1989:
Mama &
Daddy
celebrate
50th
Anniversary
1999, Christmas Eve:
Mama Anne
and JJ
1991:
Anne
and
Jon
1992:
Len in Yellow Submarine
Tie at 45th High School
Reunion
Thanksgiving
1992:
The Extended
Family
My wonderful kids,
Andrea and Jon,
have been the glue
that held my life
together.
This outrageous Me-Me-Me page is the
result of my autobiography project. (My
husband Len and I are in a memoirs group at
church.) It's for my family as well as for you,
my classmates. Sorting through photos is a
really effective way to chart out where you've
been...if not where you're going! I'm still not
finished, with my photos---or my wonderful
life!

I was born in San Francisco, as Daddy was
stationed there in the Navy for WWII. We
moved to Mama's hometown, Anson (near
Abilene) when I was 3, to Gatesville in 4th
grade, and to Belton late in 5th, so Daddy
could do carpentry at Fort Hood. It was hard
to get to know people who had been
together since first grade and whose families
all knew each other. I'm grateful to Judy's
mother, Grace Evetts, and Barbara's, Hilda
Barton, who devoted much time, energy, and
love to the Girl Scouts, giving me
a great new circle of friends and
many good times.

After high school  I had wanted to attend UT,
but math was a requirement, and I am REALLY
DUMB in math. Temple Junior College was
easier on my family financially, so I went
there and had a fine time. I finished up my BA
in Spanish and Education at North Texas
State. (Algebra wasn't required for Spanish
teachers!)

Bobby, BHS Class of '57, and I married in
1963. We set off for Albuquerque, where he
finished his degree at the U. of New Mexico
and I taught Spanish. (Some of my students
knew more than I did, alas.) Upon his
graduation, we took a memorable trip to
Mexico City on a Mexican bus 23 hours each
way, then both went to work at new jobs in
Alamogordo, New Mexico. I taught Spanish
and French.

In 1966 we moved to Greenbelt, Maryland,
where he worked at Goddard Space Flight
Center and did his master's degree, and I
taught Spanish. We had two precious
children, then divorced. An important thing
I've learned in this life is that neither
marriage nor parenthood is for sissies.

I've been fortunate to marry three good men.
Intelligent and accomplished, with wide
interests. All have had careers based on
mathematics (guess I was hoping some of
that math expertise would rub off on me---no
such luck).  All have spent time in Japan or
China and have a fondness for things Asian.
(Bobby climbed Mt. Fuji and has the hiking
stick to prove it; Bob #2 lived in China as a
toddler and spoke Chinese; and Len spent
time in Japan while in the Navy---retiring from
the Pentagon as a Captain.) All three have
enjoyed travel, which has been important in
my life.

I have committed to the long haul with Len.
He thought he was getting a trophy wife (he's
13 years older), but instead, I got a trophy
husband. My precious kids have been the
glue that has held my life together.

I've worked as a teacher, a bilingual
secretary helping Hispanics start small
businesses, a graphic designer and editor
for the US Customs Service, and a church
secretary. Len and I founded a
bed-and-breakfast club for military people
with places to stay in 28 countries and
hosted for 5 years. I did the 400-page annual
directory and newsletter, and we stayed with
several of the hosts in England and France. I
retired in 2007 from teaching ESL part-time to
adult immigrants---a great job!   

A common thread through my life has been
travel and an interest in foreign culture. I've
seen a lot of "America the Beautiful"; I've
explored Mexico, Canada, Puerto Rico, the
Bahamas, and Europe. We've been to
England several times, as well as France,
Germany, Austria, Spain, Andorra, Switzer-
land, and Luxembourg. I've learned some
French, German, and Spanish, but not
enough! Len and I have a passion for
cathedrals, and have explored about 38. (Our
very own Washington National Cathedral is
awesome; come, we'll take you.)

Len and I each have a son and a daughter,
and between us, 9 grandchildren. They are
spread out over the country: near Albany, NY;
Atlanta; Indianapolis; and San Rafael, CA.
Watching their lives unfold and seeing their
talents develop has added such dimension
to our own lives!

Daddy died on Christmas Eve, 1994; he would
have been 95 on January 28. Mama did make
it to 95, passing away on December 10, 2006.

Our health is pretty good, though, as Cecelia
said, we're slowing down. My knees screech
in tiny voices when I climb our stairs. At 79,
Len still plays tennis three times a week, but
retired in 2007 from 12 years of tending
babies in our church nursery on Sundays. We
both read a lot, and enjoy using our
computers. We don't entertain at home as
much as we used to. We don't travel as much,
either; instead we spend weekends at our
lake house near Charlottesville.

I am looking forward to seeing you at our
50th Reunion, and really getting to know you!
(By the way, I'm looking more and more like
"Miss Piggy," so don't be surprised! Yes,
Moi!)   Love, Jan
2001:
Tea at The
Four Seasons
with my friends,
"The Church
Ladies"
2006:
Jon and Andrea,
all grown up
(me, too!)
2004:
Paul, JJ, and Sarah
2004: Andrea reads
"The Highwayman"
on Christmas Eve
2006:
64 roses
for my 64th
birthday
2007:
"Jan-Ma" with Jon
and Anne, JJ, Sarah,
and Paul
2007:
Paul & Sarah in
Hawaii
Photo by JJ
2008:
JJ Boy Scout
Raft Trip
2006:
Paul and
Daddy Jon
2007:
Daddy Jon with
Sarah
1963
Front row: Len pets Ranger. Back left: Jonathan and Anne. Center front: Len's son Nard's
wife Patricia holds their nephew Kip. Center back: Len's son Nard and son-in-law Steve
hold high Steve and Kaylee's firstborn, Nolan; Len's daughter Kaylee; Andrea's friend
Diane and Andrea.
Photos go down, year by year, on left and
then back up to present.
Apr. 19, 2009: Now you know where I'm going when I say "I'm
off to the lake house." I was greatly opposed to buying a
second house as a vacation home. (Talk about changing your
life!!!) I preferred spending all that money on prettying up our
home in Arlington. But it meant a lot to Len to have a
get-away all our own instead of staying in B&Bs and hotels,
so I gave in. Len would REALLY prefer to move to the lake
full-time, but "no way, Jose!" So we compromised: I agreed to
go to the lake every other weekend all year long, unless it's
raining/snowing, etc., and he agreed to live with me the rest
of the time in our city home in Arlington, Virginia. It took quite
a lot of effort to come to this compromise, but we did it and
we're still together, after all these years!
This was the first party I've ever
had professionally catered, and it
was just great not having to worry
about a thing. Yes, it was a bit
expensive, but this was a
once-in-a-lifetime event. I think
we should have more celebra-
tions of each other while we're
still alive and kicking!
On the right is Len's choice for the birthday
cake. It was called a "Symphony Cake," and had
custard between the layers. It was just as good
as it looks! There was an open bar for cocktails,
wine, and soft drinks.
Our master-gardener friend Lola created
this gorgeous arrangement for the
decorations of the house we rented for
the party. I guess the only flaw in the day
was that it was in the 90s, too hot to enjoy
walking around the beautiful grounds of
the house, which belongs to Arlington
County's Parks and Recreation Dept.
To add a degree of specialness to the event, we
engaged a string trio to play classical music. It
was lovely.
At intermission, six people, including Len's best
friend (who flew in from Denver), his Columbia
University roommate (who came from
Pennsylvania), his two children, and my
daughter, gave "testimonials" to Len's good
qualities. I read a laudatory message from my
son, who couldn't make it from California, and
finished off by saying that Len was the best
husband I had ever had. (I didn't mention that he
was my third!!!)
As for the Power Point slide show, it was
surprisingly well received. I had it running
in a loop on my laptop, and many people
watched the entire show. It began with a
photo of Len at 6 months and ended with
his blowing out candles on his 59th
birthday in 1988. (That's as far as I was able
to get done by the party; it was enough for
this purpose. Now I'm working on
completing it.)
Our 80th Birthday Party for Len came off just perfectly. Fifty-eight
people attended and seemed to be having a great time. On the left
"The Birthday Boy" is holding a bag containing a gift from Fred K, a tee
emblazoned "Honorary Fleet Admiral.  Len has his arm around Meera,
a patent attorney who works in the law office where Len works
part-time as a patent researcher.  Jack, the Commanding Officer of
one of Len's submarines years ago, is talking with me. You'll recognize
the red-flowered blouse I wore to the Oct. 4 Donor Event last year.
Feb. 10, 2010 from Jan:
Our big snow---so far, 9" after 20" or so--- has
buried our poor azaleas, shown in the "snow
sculpture" above. On the left, and hard to
see, are our 2 white cars. Len dug his out
yesterday morning, but it's snowed in already.
The "wall" you see at the bottom of the pic is
where Len dug out a path to our door. Some
of it has settled now; it was originally over 2
ft. deep there. On the right between the big
snow blocks are the steps up to our back
yard. In the distance are some of those power
lines we always worry about when the wind
blows hard or it snows. The forecast says it
will continue to snow until about 7:00 tonight.
Not good!
Our two puppies, Rebus, left, and Zoe, right. Rebus is a West
Highland White Terrier, usually called a Westie; Zoe is a
Lab/Shepherd mix. They're both adorable!