I am certain that as some of
you read this article, you are asking, “Who is she? Other than to write that I worked for
University of Illinois Extension for 40 years and during that time I held
positions that ranged from Assistant Adviser, Youth, to Regional Director, East
Central Region; I will ask others to fill in any details.
My husband, Paul, and I live
near Goodfield IL, which is just off I-74 between Bloomington and Peoria, in
Woodford County. We have one son, who
works as an analyst at Michigan State University.
When I retired in 2008, I was
on the Epsilon Sigma Phi National Board and became the National President of
ESP shortly after retiring. In the fall
of 2009 I became the National President of the Joint Council of Extension
Professionals. During these years I
truly FELT I was fully employed with the tasks of serving the
professional Extension organizations and the professionals who comprise the
membership of those organizations.
Serving in these positions kept me very busy, but also provided me with
wonderful opportunities to meet, work with, and make lifelong friendships with
outstanding Extension professionals from all parts of our great county.
Deborah
Thomason, SC, 2011 ESP President;
Ellen
Burton, IL, 2009 ESP President;
Sandy
Corridon, Maryland, 2010 ESP President
Because of being president of
the two Boards, I had the opportunity to attend many national meetings,
regional meetings, educational conferences and Board meetings of both
Boards. Between my personal travels and
the work on the Boards, I was fortunate to travel from San Diego to Portland,
Maine; from Fargo, ND to San Antonio, from the Arctic Circle to the Caribbean,
from Portland, Oregon to Nova Scotia and many places in between. It was work and it was hectic, but a great
opportunity for personal growth and learning.
I encourage each of you to be involved in your professional
organization. You owe it to your
profession and yourself!
2011
National ESP Conference in Syracuse NY
Dr.
Mary Keith (formerly from IL) with the Illinois ESP delegation Pennie Crinion, Ellen
Burton, Pat Hildenbrand, Doug Harlan, and Mary Ann Fugate
In the fall of 2010 my
responsibilities on National Boards ended and I felt like I was finally
retired! Since this time, I have done
some traveling with friends and family to New York, Alabama, Minnesota and many
trips to South Carolina. I have a friend
who lives near Hilton Head, SC and I travel often to see her. I also make it a point to go to my favorite
city—Charleston, SC.
Additionally—when I am home I
volunteer at our local hospital. I enjoy
this volunteer opportunity as I see so many people I know—but due to privacy
laws-- I cannot tell anyone I saw them!
I also work when needed for the Woodford County Circuit Clerk and
Court. Learning more about the judicial
system has been most interesting.
Additionally, I am working with my paternal cousins to trace our Irwin
ancestry. We have it back to 1785 when
our ancestor came to America from Ireland.
Reading is also one of my great pleasures.
As many of us have learned
the greatest pleasures in life are usually simple things. For me being retired means:
1.
Being
able to help my husband with his business.
2.
Being
able to help friends when needed—or join them on a trip to “some place!”
3.
Being
able to sit down in the morning with a fresh cup of coffee and read the morning
paper from front to back—without hurrying!
For me retirement is truly
about family, friends, and being able to do the things I like to do, and/or
learning about something that always interested me. If you ever plan to be in my area please
contact me. I would love to meet you for lunch!
P.S. And for those who are
wondering if I took up shooting sports and welding, as I told colleagues I was
going to do when I retired—I have had a number of lessons from professionals in
one of the two fields!
Note: if you would like to know how to get in touch with Ellen, please send a note to ieafcslife@gmail.com.
Note: if you would like to know how to get in touch with Ellen, please send a note to ieafcslife@gmail.com.
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