R. Janet Hafemann:
CLASS OF 1960
Middletown High SchoolClass of 1960
Middletown, NY
Homestead High SchoolClass of 1996
Mequon, WI
Maple Dale Middle SchoolClass of 1968
Milwaukee, WI
Empire Elementary SchoolClass of 1967
Freeport, IL
Grier SchoolClass of 1960
Tyrone, PA
R. Janet's Story
Education:
Middletown High School graduation 1960, 2 years at OCCC (AA, Comp. Lit, 1962), then 5 years at U. of Wisconsin (BA, English, 1964; MA, Curriculum & Instruction, 1967). Other advanced degrees from U. of Wisconsin - Milwaukee and Cardinal Stritch University: MS, Educational Psychology, 1977; MS, Computer Science, 1990. Teaching certifications for Elementary Grades 1-8, Exceptional Education K-12, Guidance & Counseling K-12, Computer Science K-12, and English 7-12.
Employment:
Secretarial, Santa Barbara CA, 1964-65 and Madison WI, 1965-66. Teacher, Gr. 5-6, Freeport IL, 1966-67 and Fox Point, WI, 1967-68. Department Secretary, Linguistics, UW-Milwaukee, 1974-76. Teacher, Gr. 5-12, Mequon WI, 1976-1999. Tutor, Gr. 3-12, University School, Milwaukee WI, 1999-2012
Personal:
Married 1963-1974: 2 children; divorced.
Married 1976-1984; divorced & widowed.
Happily married 1988-pres.& fut. to Dennis Hafemann (retired college professor & entrepreneur): 1 dog, 2 cats, 2 budgies (now deceased); nice house on wooded lot, much wildlife. Dennis has taken up hunting & fishing in his retirement; no longer have to buy store meat - yay!
Future Plans:
Plan to stay in Wisconsin in spite of the demon Scott Walker. Hope he is ousted as soon as possible. Will continue to read, hike, play music, study and travel as long as possible.
Here are some answers to the Story Wizard:
(1) I originally wanted to be an entomologist when I grew up. My parents humored me until the praying mantis cocoon I brought into the house hatched and they had to vacuum hundreds of babies off the curtains and walls while I sobbed and told them they could be fined $50 for each one they killed.
(2) I blow off steam by walking or exercising.
(3) I would never reveal the wildest thing I did at school.
(4) If I'm going to work somewhere, I like to have music, a comfortable temperature, and lots of light.
(5) My heroes are the human rights workers who put themselves in the line of fire every day.
(6)Besides Middletown, I have lived in Big Spring TX, New York NY, Tyrone PA ("The Home Of Cloverine Brand Salve"!), Madison & Milwaukee WI, Freeport IL, and Isla Vista (Goleta), CA.
(7) The one person from my past who I'd most like to see again is my old Camp Te Ata counselor Evie Grenier. She always encouraged me and told me she wanted to see how I would turn out when I grew up. To my unending shame, I lost touch w/ her in high school because I hated myself at the time. And recently I found out that she died of cancer and I will never be able to contact her again. (No, I don't believe in the spirit world, though it's tempting.)
(8) My first biggest surprise in life was turning into a Midwesterner. And then having my children remain in the Midwest. And then being a 2-time cancer survivor.
(9) If I could improve my home location, I would be able to walk to stores, theaters, and restaurants while still having lots of greenery to look out on.
(10) What I've learned from my kids is that they didn't think I was as bad a parent as I thought I was. I also learned to forgive my parents when I found out that I made as many parenting mistakes as they did (albeit different ones).
(11) I would like to see my high school English teacher Mary Steussy Shanahan again because she had a profound influence on my life, I miss her, and I want to know what happened to her after she moved from Madison and whether she's alive and well today.
(12) If I won $100 million, I'd give a bunch of it to my favorite arts and charities, a bunch to my kids and other relatives, and then buy myself (and Dennis) a great age-in-place apartment in a natural setting but close to amenities. I'd spend the rest on travel.
(13) I lived in a fancy dorm the first half of my junior year at UW-Madison, and a sma...Expand for more
ll kitchen-privilege house during the 2nd semester. I didn't like either style of dorm living, so I spent as much time as possible shacked up w/ my boyfriend (first husband). In college I was so far removed from Greek life that I never even knew a person who was a member of a fraternity or lived in a sorority.
(14) I try to be happy wherever I am and whomever I'm with. I'm almost always truly happy when I'm tutoring and when I'm walking the dog or hiking w/ Dennis. I love being outside.
(15) My first real crush? Haha! The one I had when I was age 3-5 and living on DuBois Street? I think he owns a car dealership outside of M'town. My first fantasy crush was Prince Valiant. I would go to bed every night dreaming that I was Princess Aleta. This was also during the time I lived on DuBois Street, aged 3-7.
(16) My best friend would tell you I'm loyal. People who don't know me very well think I'm a lot more outgoing than I really am.
(17) Yes, I still dress casually like I did 10 & 20 yrs ago. Unfortunately, I'm no longer the same size.
(18) I guess the weirdest job I ever had was being an underage cocktail waitress at some resort outside M'town.
(19) I get one do-over. What I do differently is treat some very good people in high school a hell of a lot nicer. That includes you, Nancy Pearson.
(20) In 10 years I hope to be still mentally alert & physically active. I plan to get there by maintaining a physically and mentally engaging lifestyle.
(21) My oldest friend is Peggy Moore Abt whom I've known since I was 3. We lived around the corner from one another and used to play together during the 3-4 years I lived on DuBois Street. We really reconnected when I came to Middletown to visit my parents after our two children were born. That's when we found out how very much we had/have in common. But now she lives in Florida and I no longer have any parents living in Middletown, so I doubt we'll get to see much of each other any more : (
(22) My first job was as a mother's helper where I got paid 50 cents/hr to take care of 3 young kids. What I remember most about it is how much responsibility I was given, how long a walk it was from my house, and how much I enjoyed taking care of them.
(23) A childhood memory I'll never forget is how I thought I could get away with stealing the Meyers boys' pet baby squirrel when I was between 3-5 years old.
(24) I hope old friends remember me the way my children do -- as nicer than I remember myself.
I'm not crazy about sports, but I enjoy watching (and pretending to play) golf. I also love to swim now that I have my own pool, but I'd rather watch diving which I think is amazing. I hate reality TV except for Top Chef. I love pets, especially dogs (1) and cats (2). I've lost my obsessions, thank goodness, because they were all self-destructive (no, not drugs or alcohol).
If I could improve my home, I'd remodel the kitchen and add on a sauna. My dream home would be somewhere in Hawaii or New Zealand.
My current age is 68. When I was 12, I thought that people my age now would be retired and debt-free. I was so completely wrong.
I finally retired at the end of October, 2012. I expect to "give back" by volunteering in some capacity, but I haven't yet. My current replacement activities include: aerobics/strength training, tai chi, dog training, Jewish studies, piano/flute/harp practice, walking, yoga, and lots of reading. I also watch TV and attend plays and concerts regularly.
My second oldest friend is Marilyn (Ash) Seidenberg. We met as neighbors on Highland Avenue when I was seven. She was kind enough to walk the newest kid on the block to school, even though she was (initially) a grade ahead of me. She has continued to be a kind and loving friend all these years and I cherish her deeply.
Register for Free to view all details!
Yearbooks
Reunions
Register for Free to view all events!
Photos
