M. Elizabeth Rogers:
CLASS OF 1962
St. Ann's AcademyClass of 1962
Marlborough, MA
College of the Holy CrossClass of 1965
Worcester, MA
Worcester Junior CollegeClass of 1964
Worcester, MA
Marlborough High SchoolClass of 1963
Marlborough, MA
M. Elizabeth's Story
Life is good! I have had my share of dramas and traumas but each of them has contributed to who I am today. After getting divorced from my first husband at 30 (disappointing and sad) I moved from Watertown MA to HI and began an entirely unforeseen and unpredictable journey. I met a naval submarine officer, Larry Johnson, and began a wonderful time of living in some great places... Hawaii, northern CA, Virginia Beach and the Italian island of Sardinia. We met many great people who are still friends today. We learned tolerance, acceptance of and enjoyment with different cultures, enjoyed fabulous food, gained a greater appreciation of what we have here and more.
I have worked most of my life. I started out in Medical Technology, my dream career from the age of about 7, specialized in Microbiology and worked for private and military hospitals. When we moved to the DC area in 1994 I spent 9 years working at the FDA in MD and then the last 11 years of my work career at NIH in the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, NIAID, as a program officer working with researchers in the Sexually Transmitted Infections (STI) field. In 1983 when I couldn't find work in Micro in a tour back to HI I began my own small business of importing and wholesaling up-market gift items from Australia. I didn't make any money but learned a great deal about business and importing, traveled to Australia several times, became the first American President of any Australian-American Chamber of Commerce (HI). I had a great time, met a whole new world of business people and learned more about Australia, running a sole-proprietorship etc.
Larry and I have been together since 1975 and married in 1986. We have had our share of the ups and downs of any relationship but I wouldn't trade a second of any of it. My mom died in May of '86 but my family was all together in MA for my nephew Paul's wedding that week. My dad had died when I was 10 but both of my sisters are still alive and living in FL.
I have kept in touch with a couple of friends from grammar and high school...Jo Anne (Cusson) K...Expand for more
ane, we started kindergarten together, and Marilyn (Benedetto) Borowski, who I met thru Jo-Anne at about 10. Jo-Anne and Bob are living back in Marlboro and Marilyn, widowed for quite a few years, still lives in Marlboro. I usually succeed in getting up to MA once a year, preferably in the autumn. Sadly I haven't been for several years and Covid certainly didn't help! Still nothing matches New England autumns!
It's still hard to believe that 1962 and high school graduation was over 50 years ago! Back then 40 was really old and life really was so much simpler and safe. Now it's sometimes easier to remember the names of kids I grew up with and haven't seen for years than those of recent colleagues! Good or bad I don't think we ever forget our high school and college years, our first date, our first real boy or girl friend, our first kiss and all those songs that we only need to hear played and we are mentally back at a particular time and place... Reality is nice, and I'm glad I'm still alive and well, but memories have a special place in many of our hearts...
Retirement occurred June 30, 2014 And I finally am enjoying it to the fullest. I must admit it feels great not getting up at o'dark thirty on week day mornings and dealing with the traffic on the 495 beltway. Twenty-five years ago my husband and I knew exactly when we were going to retire and where. As the years flew quickly by, all of this is less specific. I enjoyed the challenges of new STI science up until the day I retired...and I still keep up somewhat. Larry is still working but now just part-time and that is working well. I turned 76 in October 2020 and,except for the usual aches and pains of getting older, I am doing well. We have experienced the severe illness and deaths of many dear friends before their time. This makes us continually reevaluate where we are in life. We feel blessed having reasonably good health and resources available to us to consider different options in the next couple of years.
I hope any of you who read this are happy and well and will drop a note if you are so inclined.
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