Jan Engle:
CLASS OF 1963
Ballard High SchoolClass of 1963
Seattle, WA
Port Townsend High SchoolClass of 1963
Port townsend, WA
Queen Anne High SchoolClass of 1963
Seattle, WA
Jan's Story
Life
I do have a life outside of work! I was married young to another member of our class, Ron Seybold. Unfortunately, we were too young, and that only lasted 7 years. We did have a wonderful son, Vincent, who is now grown up, married and has three kids (A step-daughter now 22 years old; a step-son, Alex,age 19 (in the Navy); and a daughter Breanna Elizabeth who was born 1-11-2002). For those of you who knew Ron, he died in the mid 1980ÃÂs of ALS.
My husband of the past 23 years is Ray Engle. Ray and I met at HUD, and we worked together daily until retirement December 1, 2006. His desk was directly behind mine, and we had a lot of togetherness. By marrying Ray I gained three stepsons. All are grown now. The oldest is married and has two sons and three step kids. The middle son got married three years ago to a lovely young woman who brought still another granddaughter into our family; and the youngest is still a happy bachelor. For those of you who didnÃÂt keep count, thatÃÂs four boys and 9 grandchildren. They keep us busy.
UPDATE: 2012 brought us our first great-grandson (Tristan).
Ray and I love to travel, and we have a condo in Kissimmee, Florida, where we spend two weeks each year in March. We are both Disneyana collectors and we spend all two weeks at Walt Disney World. We have been recommended for jobs after we retire, and we seriously considered moving across the country to live our passion--but being grandparents is what we want most. Being across the country from the kids and their lives would not do.
In addition to collecting Disney art, toys, and sculptures, we have other collectionsÃÂChristmas ornaments, Depression glass, and snowglobes lead the list. We spend our ÃÂspareÃÂ time going to playsÃÂusually about a dozen a yearÃÂcatching a MarinerÃÂs game, or at football. I have been a UW Husky season ticket holder for over 30 years. This does make life interesting, as IÃÂm married to a WSU Cougar. Actually we both cheer for both teams 10 games a year, and we agree to disagree on the third Saturday in November (Apple Cup Game Day). After all, how many couples can claim to get along with each other 364 days a year?
Since High School: In addition to all the other activities IÃÂve cited, I love to travel. The highlight was in the late 1960ÃÂs when I got 6 weeks abroad. We went to London, Paris, and Venice. Then we boarded a luxury cruise ship that took us to 6 Greek ports, Istanbul, Be...Expand for more
irut, Dubrovnik (former Yugoslavia). In the late 80ÃÂs-early 90ÃÂs we went to Disney land 5 times in 4 years, and these trips included 2 Rose Bowl games (UW, of course). We also have traveled up and down the west coast, the southern east coast, Texas, and British Columbia. Every March we spend two weeks in Florida at Walt Disney World. My husbandÃÂs family is located in the Anchorage/Palmer area in Alaska, so we have taken a couple trips up there, too. A big favorite was the trip to Yellowstone Park with side trips throughout Montana and Wyoming. Our work also gave us opportunities to travel all over the countryÃÂwith several trips to Washington, DC. In other words, when ever possible, where ever possible, we love to travel.
The biggest news now is that we retired from HUD on December 1, 2006. Now we will have the best of all worlds--we can travel at will and see the grandkids (and their parents) whenever we want to.
School
Over the past 40 years, I have managed to get over two years of actual college credits. These were primarily at Seattle Community College and City University. If you add together all the specialized courses I have taken as a government worker, I should have earned several degrees by now.
Workplace
After short stints in a mortgage company and Royal Typewriter Company, I settled into government work in 1972 when I signed on with the Department of Housing and Urban Development. I started modestly as a clerk and in 9 years progressed to a supervisory position.
Since 1978 I have worked exclusively in HUDÃÂs Native American programs. I was there before HUD even had a special office to handle these programs. Now I am working in the Northwest Office of Native American Programs as the Special Advisor to the Administrator (thatÃÂs a euphemism for Deputy, but HUD doesnÃÂt have deputies.)
It has been very rewarding to help the 42 Indian tribes in WA, OR, and ID build homes and enhance their living environments. I cannot think of any other job I would have loved more.
Along with all my other duties, I have always been able to continue my love for writing. I have written newsletters for our staff and for our tribes. For five years in the 90ÃÂs I put out a national newsletter to government employees and tribes. Now I write for the HUD website.
I have seen HUD ÃÂgrow upÃÂ in its approaches to Native American programs, and I have seen the tribes growing in dignity, opportunity, and prosperity.
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