Bio - Cherie Hartman Conlon
Hi, All,
This is a little like seeing your life flash before your eyes! I'm really enjoying seeing the other bios come through- here's my version.
Right after graduation, my family moved to Chicago. I was pretty miserable to leave my good friends and the ocean. I spent my freshman year in college at St. Mary of the Woods College in Terre Haute, Indiana. I transferred to Loyola University in Chicago the next year and got a bachelors degree in Education in 1967. This is where I met my husband, Lou, and we were married after his graduation from Law School in 1966. How can that be 47 years ago already??
After teaching 2nd grade at a Chicago Catholic school for two years, our three daughters were born, Martha, Amy, and Emily. When Emily went to school, I went back to teaching and taught kindergarten for 8 years. When my school got a computer lab, I fell in love with computers and went back to Loyola for an additional undergrad degree in Computer Science, and continued on to a Masters Degree. I also ended up with an undergrad Math major and I enjoy thinking of how astonished my BMHS math teachers would be! I was 47 years old at the time and some people in my class asked me "If you're so interested in computers, how come you didn't study Computer Science the first time you went to college?" Ummm, they didn't HAVE computers when I first went to college!
While I was back at Loyola, my friend the school counselor, and I founded a small company, InService Works, which created mentoring DVDs for new teachers and a series of DVDs on dealing with Cultural differences in the classroom. The mentoring series stars our youngest daughter, Emily, who was an award-winning teacher in the Chicago Public Schools
So, a strange career change in my mid 40s--from teaching Kindergarten to programminghealthcaresoftwarefor a Fortune 15 company. I did that for about 15 years, then switched to Software Build and Release Management, where I built the software product, automated processes and wrote Installation programs. My latest company decided to move to North Carolina - I declined their invitation to move with them, since I couldn't bear to leave my seven littlest friends (our grandchildren, ages 4-11). I miss working, but I don't miss the deadlines, long hours and competing with 30 year olds much!
Lou retired shortly after I stopped working and we've been enjoying a more unhurried lifestyle. We've traveled to England and Ireland and enjoyed many falls on the Maine coast - Camden is a particular favorite. Our daughters are all strong and independent women (with husbands who appreciate these qualities!), all college graduates (one MBA). We're so fortunate to have them all living within a half hour of us. They are the most wonderful and interesting and caring adults, but I still miss them being 8 years old.
We lived in the city of Chicago until everyone was out of college and then moved in 2004 to the Northwest Suburbs, where we are living happily ever after in a townhouse, so we don't have to shovel snow any more! I'm still not sure whether we can make the reunion or not, but I'm hoping!
Wishing you all the best always,
Cherie