Maxine Bernhardt:  

Life My happiest days were in Fries, Va. where I was raised by my grandparents (Joe & Fannie Hill). I felt secure, happy and free to be myself. I went to Fries Elementary and Vaughan School and met many wonderful friends whom I still cherish today. Sometime around 1964, my Mother asked me to move to Richmond, Va. to live with her, my Dad and sister. It broke my heart to leave my grandparents, friends and boyfriend (a wonderful guy I dated throughout High School & part of College). I graduated from George Wythe High School in Richmond and worked my way through college. (On Classmates.com, I had to say that I graduated from Fries High School so I could get in touch with friends from Fries). My college years are a blurr, as I went to college during the day and worked every night until 11:00pm. I had no time to study, eat, sleep or have much of a life. I did find some time to party a little---I think I was sleepwalking! I married a guy I met in college and began working as a Training Manager for First & Merchants Bank, training employees throughout Virginia. I traveled a lot and really enjoyed my work. While working for the bank, the bank paid for me to finish my college education at the University of Virginia. I had monthly projects and papers to complete and attended UVA for two or three weeks in the summer. I was married for 8 years and divorced in 1976. I married again in 1978 and moved to Ocean Isle, North Carolina in 1984. My husband was in Real Estate and I was still in banking....Expand for more