Shirley Arrowood :  

9/1/2011 The reunion last month was a highlight for me. Thank you to all of the committee who so graciously volunteered their time; it was a tremendous success. Ira took dozens of photos but I've only posted maybe 10-12 so far; there are more to come as soon as I have the time to download them and tag the people I recognize most readily. My invitation still stands to those who want to come to CR to check it out, do some surfing, diving, snorkeling, fishing, or just relax. If you're a golfer, I can point you in the right direction and maybe get you a discount on green fees, but Ira and I together make only ONE good golfer - he drives and I play the short game. FYI, don't come this month or next as they are the rainy season. The weather, especially in Guanacaste province where the beach house is located, is dry again by the 1st or second week in Nov., but officially the high season begins Nov. 15 to Dec.15 (or anywhere in between) depending on the part of the country, Guanacaste being the driest. JetBlue will start direct flights from JFK to Liberia (LIR) on Nov. 17, supposedly with outstanding fares; you can fly into LIR to SJO (San Jose's main airport and 45 minutes from the Sarchi house in the mountains) on virtually all major US carriers and many int'l ones; so don't just think USAir, Continental, Delta, American, Spirit, etc., but also Taca, Lacsa, Iberia, Lufthansa, Martin Air, Air France and others, which may be partners of US carriers with which you have frequent flier affiliations. Trying to get caught up after 3+ wks out of the country, but I'll get there. Best to everyone, including those who did not make it to the reunion, Shirley 7/19/2011 Chronologically, these notes don't necessarily fit here, but I started with family back in May, not worrying about sequence, so here goes. While at Furman I did my senior research at the Savannah River Atomic Energy Plant working in one of the labs on an eco type project; the unique experience there probably helped me land my first job out of college as a new product development chemist, from which I was tapped to head the team to meet EPA requirements and employee testing to meet OSHA standards, and became QC manager for this GM supplier. Hated the job and working in the automotive industry, so I took a position as a technical recruiter for a year or so, after which I had two potential job offers to work in Algeria and Morocco for two large engineering/construction companies building airports and other infrastructure. I had worked my way thru Furman translating engineering field notes from French to English for Fluor Daniel, and other less exotic things like designing and manufacturing a line of handbags for Belk Stores. The companies paid for my expenses to interview in Paris, which would have been my base of operations when not at a construction site. Turned down the jobs, but stayed a couple of months in Europe (while my ex had the girls for the summer), long enough to spend time in Paris, Rome and London, where I became aware that I would at some point live outside the U.S. London was the first int’l city with which I fell in love, at least from April thru Sept; it was also where I met a professor from Berlin whose flat was near mine in Lancaster Gate near Hyde Park; dated for a few weeks in London while he was perfecting his English before presenting at a scientific conference. We got to know one another by taking in concerts at Prince Albert Hall, plays in the theater district, going clubbing and on day trips to Bath, Stonehenge, Bristol, Leeds, etc. He was born in Persia before the Shah was deposed, but as a Christian was exiled afterward and educated in Italy, Austria and Germany; so he taught me a little Farsi, all the curse words he knew in Arabic, some Italian and German. It was the first of several summer vacations together in London, the occasional trip to Montreal, St. Thomas, etc. before he was invited to teach at MIT for two years. We were friends for the 7 years before I met Ira, after which I never looked back. During this time I went back to Furman and earned the equivalent in business credits to a BBA and entered the MBA program then jointly sponsored by Furman and Clemson. Worked for large companies primarily doing technical recruiting, managing the HR departments of large R&D and manufacturing facilities, especially those in the process of opening, closing or in need of a "turn around." Due to my travel schedule, weekly trips mostly east coast, I took only one course at a time and sometimes had to drop out of that one because of demands on my time, but received invaluable education and training in technical disciplines and project management. I was exhausted from traveling and a girlfriend and I decided to vacation somewhere totally relaxing. We went to Club Med Martinique the first week in June 1983, which was where I met my husband of 27 years, Ira. I had broken my foot 3 weeks (playing tennis with the kid next door) before the trip so was still wearing a walking cast. It was my first trip to a Club Med, but Ira's 9th. My girlfriend and I were the only people there who weren’t from NY, LA, Europe or some otherwise equally non-southern places. I didn't know that the ads promising "no stress, no TV, no telephone, no newspaper" failed to mention no locks on the doors, a clothes-optional beach, and not many normal, sane people. Our guest cast put on “Rocky Horror” in which gratefully there was no part for anyone wearing a cast. My girlfriend and I were already shocked with Club Med within hours of arrival, when I was seated next to Ira at dinner on the first night; he had just come dripping wet from diving and I was wearing a cotton sundress and makeup. I ignored him until a waiter dropped a flaming dish in my lap; Ira calmly brushed it off my dress, then picked up my skirt and brushed off my legs. I was unharmed, but couldn't continue to ignore him, so we started talking. It was the best decision of my life. He was a BFA grad from Manhattan, owned small retail stores, had been traveling alone outside the US since age 15 and loved to vacation anywhere warm where he could dive, snorkel or fish. All week I saw him rushing to a windsurfing class, a 2-tank dive, or off to take some photos; invariably he would bring me a cold drink, a book or magazine (no newspapers allowed), or some fruit as I sat on a chaise with my foot on a pillow. Every night we had dinner together with my friend until she began to feel like a 5th wheel. After a week I left for SC, while he stayed for a 2nd week. When he got back to NY the long distance calls became something to which I looked forward every day; we could have flown back and forth SC-NY several times for the cost of our phone bills. He came with a friend to visit in July on his way to see his brother at U of FL; his friend hated my friend, so Ira sent him back to NY with the car. He stayed in G'ville for 3 weeks, after which he flew back to NY in August, sold his house on Long Island and businesses in the city, and was living in SC by October. He rented a place literally next door to me. By Thanksgiving we were engaged and married in March of ’84. It was his first marriage, so he had an instant family since I had two daughters from my first marriage. They said he saved me from being a “stick in the mud” by bringing some much needed fun and spontaneity into our lives and caused me to trim my 60+ hr workweeks. He even convinced me to send Monica on a cultural exchange to France that year, having himself been launched at 15 on a solo tour of colonial Mexico. So slowly, having already captured my daughters’ hearts, he ingratiated his NY yankee, Jewish boy from Long Island self into my southern to the core, Cherokee and German heritage, Baptist family. He was a shock to them at first, but they grew to love him, the girls even more so, who lost their father the Chri...Expand for more