Joyce Crone Joyce Crone’s (Sundial) teaching career spread out over three states, South Carolina, Alabama, and Florida, as she followed her husband Bob through various job transfers. In fact, as it happens with many women in the educational field, the demands and delights of marriage would often dictate the course of Joyce’s educational career. Certainly one of the benefits of teaching is its flexibility for women who want to work in the profession they trained for, marry the man that they love, and raise a family. Joyce started her educational career at Miami University of Ohio. During this time, she and Bob married, and Joyce left the University with three years of training toward her degree. After Bob entered the U.S. Air Force, Joyce had the opportunity to complete her BA in Elementary Education at Texas Tech. Joyce remembers clearly, “I had a baby three days after I graduated. Timing is everything… it all just worked out!” Three children and eleven years later, Joyce began a teaching career that would last seventeen years. She dedicated three years teaching in a self-contained second grade class. The rest of her career was spent teaching remedial reading. “I worked with slower learners and those that had problems with reading. I never really thought of any other career than teaching. Of course it was nice to have the same vacations that my children had and to
Joyce Crone (Sundial)
not be living on a teacher’s salary alone! I just did my job, and I enjoyed it!”
Barbara Edwards Aside from her own schooling and supporting the schooling of her children and grandchildren, Barbara Edwards (Oakmont) is part of the Philanthropic Educational Organization (PEO), Chapter AI. As a national organization with many local chapters, the PEO fosters the continuing education of women, who have dropped out of college. For Barbara this is an organization worth supporting with both her time and energy. Founded on January 21, 1869, by seven students at Iowa Wesleyan College in Mount Pleasant, Iowa, PEO has grown to a membership of almost a quarter million members in chapters throughout the United States and Canada. In agreement with a mission statement that encourages “women to celebrate the advancement of women; educate women through scholarships, grants, awards, loans, and stewardship; and to motivate women to achieve their highest aspirations;” women like Barbara have become part of a supportive sisterhood. As Barbara relates, “For many different reasons, such as illness, marriage, financial concerns, and sometimes just not seeing the need for education, some women leave higher education. However, many of them later discover the necessity of a good education. We
women in PEO want to help them return to what they need. After two years of being out of college, women may qualify for help from PEO, and go back to what they started out to do or just want to do.”
Barbara Edwards (Oakmont)
Although there are other PEO chapters represented by other residents at Shell Point, Barbara’s Chapter AI is presently sponsoring three women involved in the field of nursing: one who will graduate at the end of this summer or fall, and two who are soon taking their boards. One of the women, who has no other means of support, was simply found working at Health Park by a Shell Point resident and member of AI. The Chapter has been helping the young woman for two years. Each PEO Chapter can set their own parameters for selection and help, and funds are raised in many ways. Barbara’s Chapter AI will be hosting a card party and luncheon on Monday, March 9, at 11:30 a.m. to benefit the women they are sponsoring. Barbara recalled, “I got into this years ago. I like the education priority and the fellowship. PEO is a good organization.” Continuing Education
These women’s stories represent just a sampling of the many educators living at Shell Point. Today, residents can be found teaching and attending classes through The Academy at Shell Point proving it’s never too late to learn or teach. Shell Point Life | March 2009
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