Janet Clesi:
CLASS OF 1963
Dondero High SchoolClass of 1963
Royal oak, MI
Janet's Story
After attending 3 colleges in 3 years, I dropped out in the 4th year and started flying for Braniff in '67. I've lived in Dallas since that time, but I was flying reserve PAC/MAC for about five years. The excitement of flying international, whether Acapulco, Tokyo, Philippines, and quick turn-arounds in Viet Nam, got into my blood. When I got married in '72, we were given around the world first class tickets on JAL by an up and coming executive for AA we met water skiing. He later started the AAdvantage Program. The "plan" was that I'd continue flying until we had children. When we didn't have children, I just kept flying international until Braniff went under. Vick's business was really taking off (no pun intended) so I continued to plan trips to Europe, St Martin, Vail, and of course, some trips to the mall. I was living the perfect hedonistic life style. If someone had asked me if I were a Christian I'd say yes. But my attitude about God was don't call me. I'll call you. Some time in the early '90's, some really bad things were happening to family members. The adversity made me realize how much I needed to be in a relationship with Jesus Christ. No longer did I just want a "fire insurance" policy. I repented for some real junk and proceeded to find a good Bible Study. In Dallas that's not hard to do. The amazing thing was how the application started changing me. I got involved with an after school outreach program that works mostly with minorities. I volunteered in the local Republican Club. Started attending a really fabulous church and leading small groups. At one critical point, I was asked to be the moderator for the Republican judicial candidates run-off. And oh, by the way, you need to come up with the questions and the local TV cameras may be there again. Had I been asked the previous week, I'd have declined without a second thought. The week I was asked, my BSF (Bible Study Fellowship) question was, would I be like Caleb and Joshua or like the 10 spies that were full of fear and caused the Israelites to wander for 40 more years before going into the Promised Land. I said yes and developed a working fait...Expand for more
h that got me out of my comfort zone. My next big challenge came when I met some entrepreneur missionaries. These ministries only go into areas that are hostile to God and Christianity. Would I like to go on a mission trip to Cuba? There were about 10 of us, my husband included, who posed as tourists and smuggled in Bibles and Christian literature. This time the fear factor for me was truly almost paralyzing. Once on the plane, I was able to relax. We each had our guide and interpreter as we visited many homes. Do not believe the Hollywood stars about life in Cuba. None of the Cubans have access to reading glasses so when they hit middle age, they can no longer see to read. We took in vitamins, reading glasses by the hundreds, first aid supplies, and clothes. It's the only country I've been to where people don't have cell phones. It is an island prison. The only commodity for sale is prostitution. In a two hour drive I saw only one billboard and it said, "Patriotism or death." It was a life changing experience for me. Every home I visited had people who wanted to accept Jesus Christ as their Savior. Shortly after I returned I served as Program Chair for the Dallas County Council of Republican Women. I served two years as President and had a ball! In the past few years, I've written on-line devotionals for my church. I've written monthly political opinions under "President's Message" on our website. Business wise, we've developed properties at Possum Kingdom Lake and Dallas. After managing to dodge a huge bullet in '09, we are hoping to create assets out of distressed properties. We are finished with building from the dirt up for a while. At Possum KIngdom Lake we water ski, bike, and windsail. Lately, we're lying around a bit more and are slower to tackle the steep hills and strong winds. Joined the gym this week and took my first Yoga class. Getting out of my comfort zone has become quite comfortable for me. I've been blessed with a wonderful loving husband and lots of friends. About the only thing I'm not happy about are the post menopausal pounds. I'm giving the extra weight three more months. Hugs to all!
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