Rosemary Conners (North Royalton, OH) “In junior and senior high school, I imagined myself the future Brenda Starr of Cleveland news. Shortly after graduation I experienced an epiphany. I wrote to Kent State and withdrew from the School of Journalism; I never looked back.”

Rosemary had various careers. First as a high school English teacher then as a claims rep/supervisor of SSA while simultaneously teaching English part-time at Tri -C for 24 years.

After retiring two years ago she began delivering Meals on Wheels two days a week and volunteering at the Stearns Homestead in Parma.

In 1969 Rosemary spent three weeks driving around England overwhelmed by the beauty, the history and the culture of the country. Subsequently she visited Great Britain seven more times, five with her mother and two with her niece. A trip to Greece, Turkey and the Mediterranean islands was remarkable as was a trip to Spain and Italy, including Pompeii, Rome and the Vatican. Rosemary also relished traveling to Alaska, the last great frontier.

‘While the last 50 years have been an incredible personal journey, I can't help but reflect on the sobering events that have impacted our lives-the assassinations of John Kennedy and Robert Kennedy, Vietnam, the Oklahoma bombings, 9/11, Iraq and now the economy. I believe our class has experienced the most remarkable period in modern history. I respect and admire the generations who preceded us, but I cannot envy those who will come after us.”