Shelia Lambert Buba
Ron and Shelia Lambert Buba
I have enjoyed being included on all of the emails for the Clinton Class of ’66 – I really appreciate the thoughtfulness of that gesture and want to thank Gary. It has been fun reminiscing and catching up on what many of you have been up to since we last met. It has been quite a while….
My family moved to Clinton from Memphis in the middle of the third grade. In August before the 9th grade, we moved to Dallas, Tx.
But before I go on to life in Texas and thereafter – my memories of Clinton are quite vivid and very dear to me. Over the years, whenever I hear “Theme From A Summer Place”, it always reminds me of the slumber party at Amylou’s house where we all tried to teach each other to dance….Endless hours of playing basketball with Suzi Hall, her beating me mostly, but she was taller you know. The Girl Scout meetings at Betsy Barnett’s house – for some reason whenever I eat chocolate chip cookies that memory always comes back to me. Attending GA camp in the dead of summer in Mississippi and no air conditioning in those cabins and wanting to sleep on the top bunk….what were we thinking?? Learning to swim and dive at the Clinton Swimming Pool. Fishing with Connie Courtney and her family and trading fishing tales. Running track and having Judy Beall beat me, she was taller you know (faster too, unfortunately). Jane Craft convincing me to participate in the school talent contest with her….she was a ruthless drill instructor when it came to rehearsals. I could go on and on, but obviously, the years I spend in Clinton were impressionable. Even though I long ago lost contact with any of the Clinton crowd, they still hold a warm spot in my heart.
My 9th and 10th grades were spent in Dallas, Tx. In November of my Junior year, we moved to Ft. Worth, Tx. I graduated from Paschal High School in Ft. Worth – and just attended my 40th reunion with that group. Although my graduating class was over 900 strong, there were many friends I enjoyed connecting with after so many years.
On a personal level:
In 1967, I married, had my daughter in 1969 and then divorced in 1978….all to be said about that one.
I married the love of my life, Ron, in January of 1983. I was also blessed with 2 stepchildren that I consider my own. My daughter Leslie is 37, married to Jason, lives in Euless, Tx and has 3 sons. Kelley, 41, my step-daughter and her husband Frank, live here in Arlington, Tx, they have one son and one daughter (my only granddaughter!). Ryan, 36, my step-son and his wife Liz, live in San Antonio, Tx and have 2 sons.
My husband finally retired for the second time at the end of March from Lockheed Martin. Right after he retired the first time in 2001, he was diagnosed with colon cancer. He just received an all clear after 5 years with his most recent body scan and lab results. Going through that difficult time made us appreciate life like never before.
On a professional level:
In 2003, I had my fill of mergers and acquisitions, corporate restructuring and doing more with less - it wasn’t fun any more. After 32 years of a wonderful, rewarding career with Aetna Employee Benefits, (Aetna, Inc) I hung it up. Although I far exceeded my expectations for achievement in my career, I still hadn’t completed my degree which had been a personal goal. With only about 2 semesters to go, who knows? I may graduate before I reach 65!
After I retired, it was a difficult transition for me to go from an environment where I had a very a structured life with a demanding schedule to, what am I going to do today?
I received a call from a company in Chicago – would I be interested in an opportunity with them, using all of my insurance knowledge and management skills. So, in the middle of January, 2004, I left Texas to work in Bourbonnais, Illinois for 6 months. That project was the hardest I had ever worked in my life and when I finally got home after a long 6 months – I thought retirement looked pretty good. I do work for them occasionally – but only for short term projects!
Now that I am fully retired, my favorite things are cooking – trying out new recipes, reading - I always have a good book handy, and working in my yard. I planted an herb garden last year and have really enjoyed using fresh herbs in my cooking. My husband and I have some trips planned and are enjoying the retired life that we worked so hard to achieve.
I am looking forward to joining you all for the reunion. It will be fun to catch up with everyone.
Leslie and Shelia
