Patricia M. Casey:
CLASS OF 1960
Lynn English High SchoolClass of 1960
Lynn, MA
Chandler School for WomenClass of 1962
Boston, MA
Patricia M.'s Story
Life
On September 3, 2001, I completed a 30 year career with the US Government. From May, of 1973 I worked for the Foreign Service (Dept of State) serving in Sweden, Belize, Oman (6 years), Norway, Italy, The Bahamas, Jordan, Switzerland, Egypt and Poland - with temporary assignments in Bahrain, Iceland and Slovenia. After I retired I went to Georgia to be near my sister Maureen and her children and my deceased sister Sharon's children and grandchildren. Just 8 days after I retired came the horrors of 911. While in the Foreign Service I lived through all sorts of terrorism but not in my own country and I wasn't ready for that. I guess I was guilty of thinking (as many of us are) that terrorism happened elsewhere, not in America. Believe me, it can, did and unfortunately, will again, happen in America! By now, we should all know it can happen anywhere at any time - but do we believe it? I do but how many of us really do think it can happen again here? Unfortunately,it CAN happen here at any time and in any place. On a more pleasant note, my sister, Maureen, and her children gave me a dog for my retirement. She was discovered abandoned in a Burger King in Gainesville, Georgia. She is a beagle-whippet and at the time was about 18 months old; she is now 7-1/2. Molly is very sweet and despite her size tall, thin, and FAST (especially when chasing a squirrel or a cat); she weighs only 18 lbs. She barks her head off if ANYONE knocks on the door (and heaven help any poor dog who walks by our house) she lets them know whose house it is and they better not forget it.
The year after I retired, I was asked to do a temporary(2-month) tour beginning in mid-October in Kabul, Afghanistan. Our living quarters were simple to say the least. Two of us shared half of a trailer (trailer truck). There was only enough hot water for each of us to have four minutes to shower and wash our hair. We had a lovely view of the Hindu Kush mountains from the Embassy compound. They were covered by snow even in October. Army, Navy and Marine personnel shared the Embassy compound and outnumbered State Dept personnel. We were lucky not to have been the first to open the Embassy when there were only 3 showers for 150 people. They were allowed to have...Expand for more
a shower once every 3 days.
My brother joined me in Georgia the summer of 2002. In December, 2004, we moved into a lovely town house in Alpharetta, Georgia. My sister is 16 miles away. Only 7 of my grand nieces and nephews are still in Georgia: 2 of my sister Sharon's 3 children are here in Georgia, her oldest daughter Sherry lives in Cary, NC with her husband and 3 children. My sister Maureen's oldest son, Jim and his wife Kristina (both attorneys) live in Georgia with their 2 children (Merritt and Corbin). Maureen's son Bill and his wife Kristie are both doctors doing cancer research at Ohio State University Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. Bill is working on leukemia and Kristie on lymphoma (both non-Hodgkins and Hodgkins). Kristie and Bill have 2 sons Jonah William Blum and Jack Casey Blum. Maureen's third son Patrick is Country Manager for a logistics firm in Turkey. He oversees the shipment of petroleum into Iraq for our military and the local populace. He and his wife, Mindy, have no children yet. Maureen's daughter Maureen lives in Greensboro, NC, with her police officer husband (Matt). Their daughter Aislin (pronounced Ash-lin) will be 3 in February.
Sharon's oldest child, Sherry, lives in Cary, NC and is a successful realestate agent; her husband Todd is a Personnel Manager at a Marriott Hotel. They have 3 children: Torie, Samantha and Taylor. They haven't reached high school yet.
Two of my sister Sharon's children live here in Georgia - Michael and Shaylynn. Michael and Tami have 4 children; the oldest, Michael, just graduated from college. Scott will graduate from high school in 2009; he wants to be a forensic scientist. Rachael and Caleb have not reached high school yet.
Sharon's younger daughter, Shaylynn, also lives in Georgia with her daughter Kaitlynn.
My brother Gene and I live a fairly quiet life in Alpharetta, Georgia.
I wouldn't trade any part of my career for another. Where else can you work and have Ambassadors from everywhere call you by your first name? I have met numerous US Presidents including Pres and VP Bush, Sr.,
President Carter, Pres Clinton 3 times, Pres Bush,Jr., President Mubarak of Egypt; the President of France and attended a State Dinner for the Pres. of Tunisia.
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