MARY LAVIN HOEKMAN

I retired from Nationwide Agribusiness (formerly Farmland Insurance) after 40 years of typesetting and printing. We moved to Moravia, Ia. Sept. 2010 where the deer population out numbers the residents in the winter. I spend most of my time reading, crocheting and woodburning pictures. I love to burn landscapes and portraits. My husband Kenny is my best friend and we just celebrated 30 years this past year.

Most didn't know that I had gone to a Catholic Boarding school the previous three years before I arrived in Indianola. When I started my Junior year all the friendships had been formed and there wasn't much room for a stranger. I needed one credit to graduate Government and Economics so I just kind of slid through.

My favorite memories were 5th hour study hall with Mr. Sjeklocha (sp?) and Lon Davey and Jim Foust. I didn't have to do any wall time, but I was just lucky I didn't get caught talking.

Mr. Renard's "Early Bird" Government and Econ was probably my all time favorite. I think we covered every subject imaginable in addition to what we were there for. I learned a lot from that class.

I was in a pretty nasty car accident my Senior year and had a cast on my left arm from my shoulder down to my fingertips and Mr. Duschek still made me take timed typing tests. He taught we can always push through to accomplish what we need and want too. He never let me quit.

My Home-Ec consisted of three years of sewing only so Mrs. Henley decided I should have a more rounded credit and put me in Mrs. Cozad's class. I remember I ruined the labs brownies and upset at least one of my lab partners immensely and Mrs. "C" went round and round on the sewing but in the end we agreed that as long as we reached the desired results it didn't matter how I got there!

So even though I didin't need all the same classes I learned a tremendous amount those last two years.