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Biography: I am a native South Dakotan. I was born and raised on a farm southwest of DeSmet, SD (Laura Ingalls Wilder country). I attended one of the last country schools (Flying Ace School #28) in eastern South Dakota--and thoroughly enjoyed the eight grade school years there as the only student in my grade.
After country school, I attended high school in DeSmet and then went on to South Dakota State University in Brookings, SD. In addition to getting a B.A. in English, I also met and married my husband, Roger--a sociology major. After I graduated, I taught for three years in Flandreau, SD. From there we went to tiny little Forestburg, SD, where my husband taught for three years and where all three of our children (Justin, Rogina, and Jonalee) were born. I was a substitute teacher there, not a full time teacher, because three small children born in the space of 27 months took a great deal of my time.
Next we moved to Iroquois, SD, where my husband worked in the bank as an insurance agent for the next two years. After that (the summer of 1979) it was on to Madison where we've been ever since. In that time all the children have attended and graduated from the Madison Public School system. Starting in 1985, we began hosting exchange students. Over the years we've hosted students from Germany (Stephen and Nils), Columbia (Carlos), Brazil (Isabellita and Diego), Argentina (Maria), France (Maite), and Belgium (Lolo). We've also had DSU international students from Japan who stayed with us--Satoko Ikeda, Koya Tsukamoto, Naoko Aihara, Kaori Matsui, Naoko Kitaoka, and Akiko Tsuneoka. We've truly enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people and learn about other cultures. Because of our hosting experiences, our daughters, Gina and Jonalee, also decided to be exchange students, so they both spent their junior year of high school studying abroad. Gina was in France ('92-'93) and Jonalee was in Cordoba, Argentina ('93-'94).
I've been teaching at Dakota State University since 1981, gotten a Master's degree in English from SDSU (1989) and an Ed. D. from the University of South Dakota in Vermilion (1995). My husband has worked at Norwest Bank, at Kundert-Williams Insurance and is now at Citibank. We added to our family by two when Roger's nephew (Larry) and niece (Jenny) came to live with us in 1992. In 1996 Roger and I joined the grandparent club, a club I didn't know existed until we became part of it! Our daughter Gina and her husband, Clint Watkins, presented us with a grandson, Cody Allen, on February 11, 1996. Since then, they've also provided us with a granddaughter, Gillian Gwen, on May 27, 1999. Our son, Justin, married Courtney French in July 1999. They presented us with grandbaby number three on April 23, 2003. Natalie Ila is a delightful youngster. On October 1, 2006 Natalie's baby brother, Daniel Roger was born. He's another sweetheart The youngest of our three children, Jonalee, married Kevin Coon in April 2005. She explained to us that the change in her last name took her down in the animal kingdom but up in the alphabet! Jonalee and Kevin had a very premature baby on August 31, 2006. Mikaylee Joyce was just 21 ounces at birth. She's now over a year old and doing well. She still has lung issues and every cold is a challenge, but she's doing what most youngsters her developmental age are doing. We love our children and grandchildren and enjoy spending time with all of them.
As part of my duties at DSU, I get to do a lot of traveling. I lead the England Study Tour every spring when we take two weeks to visit London and the surrounding area; Edinburgh, Scotland; and Paris, France. I've also had the opportunity to teach English to Chinese teachers of English through an agreement that DSU has with East China Normal University. This summer (2006) I'll be going to Jin Shan, a suburb of Shanghai, for the third time. The weather there is beastly hot and humid, but the people and the atmosphere are fantastic. I really enjoy being there--but for the month that I'm gone, I really miss my family.
In brief, that's my life! Oh, yes, I forgot to tell you--I collect moose things: mooselaneous of all kinds.
Here's our REAL family portrait-- taken in December 2004
BACK: Clint, Kevin, and Justin
MIDDLE: Gina and Jonalee
FRONT: Gillian, Cody, Roger, Nancy, Courtney, and Natalie
Here's a picture of Cody Allen Watkins, age 10 (taken in May 2006). He likes playing soccer and baseball.
This is Gillian Gwen Watkins, age 7 (also taken May 2006). She's a delightfully energetic little soul. We love her to pieces.
And this is Natalie Ila Moose, age 3 (the picture was taken in May 2006). She's a sweetheart. Her dad calls her "Sweetie" for good reason.
These are my parents, Joyce and Cecil Larson. This picture was taken in 2003. Mom died in 2006 as a result of advanced Parkinson's Disease; we miss her dearly. Dad, age 82, is still out on the farm.
These are pictures from Cody's school Christmas program on Dec. 5, 2002. The first picture is of Clint (the proud father) and Gillian watching Cody and the other first graders sing. The second picture shows Cody in the center with his classmates as they wait their turn to start singing. Cody's mom, Gina, was unable to attend the concert since she was in Turkey with the Air National Guard as part of her annual training. The following March she left for Qatar for several months at the beginning of the war with Iraq. She is a weapons specialist--in other words, she builds bombs.
This page was last updated on Monday, October 15, 2007