Lori Russell-Dodd:
CLASS OF 1983
Washington High SchoolClass of 1983
South bend, IN
Jesse Dickinson Middle SchoolClass of 1979
South bend, IN
Warren Elementary SchoolClass of 1977
South bend, IN
Lydick Elementary SchoolClass of 1974
South bend, IN
Lori's Story
Life Past and Present...(I let the Future look out for itself!)
In the years since WHS, my life has changed dramatically. I think my wisest choice was marrying the most wonderful guy in the world. We've had nearly 25 years of happiness together, and counting. You can never be happier than when you marry your best friend, and I was lucky enough to do that.
We moved in the early spring of 2004 from the Hill Country area, northwest of San Antonio, Texas to a lovely home on three plus acres in Branchburg, NJ. This came about when Johnson and Johnson Inc. World Hdqrtrs (The wonderful people who brought us Q Tips and Baby Oil, among many other things!) offered my hubby the Senior Patent Counsel position there. He loves his work...has been a Patent Attorney for 30 years.
We also breed, train and compete Champion Labrador Retrievers. In my capacity as a Pro Trainer and an Animal Behavior Specialist, many have been trained and donated to work with the handicapped, as well as for narcotics and Search & Rescue work. I still teach all breed obedience, do abused stray rehab work, and for many years I was also working with Law Enforcement as a K9 and Narcotics K9 Trainer/Handler, which I really enjoyed!
The ranch in TX was way big enough to keep us hopping, with all of our "four legged furkids" to take care of too. Now we've had to scale back on those activities, but I still wouldn't trade my life for anyone else's.
I am facing a pretty life-altering challenge now...one that I don't think any of us ever really consider or think about having happen to us...until it does, that is. I've been diagnosed with a condition which is going to put me in a wheelchair (but not if I have my way!). I have to admit that it is incredibly painful every single day, and it's changed my life in many ways...some that can be depressing if I allow myself to dwell on it, so...simply put...I don't. I'm a fighter, and I have a wonderful support system...my Mom, my brother and my sister in law (who is much more a sister to me than just some gal my brother married! The guy's got great taste!), and their two kids who are both hubby's and my own pride and joy...and LOTS of truly WONDERFUL friends, with hubby at the top of the list.
It's not easy to process my situation, because despite my efforts to run the disease, it runs me no matter how much I wish it was the other way around, but I can say this much...it's really made a dramatic change in my life when it comes to my priorities and my view of the world. In a weird way, I feel blessed actually. Sounds strange, I know...but if you're interested in how a crippling condition can alter the way you look at life, and what REALLY matters, drop me a line!
For now I'll just leave it at this: It is waaaay too easy when your life is going great...no worries about your marriage, family, job, or money... to take too much and too many for granted. It's waaaay too easy to blow off other peoples' misfortunes with "yeah that's sad but it won't ever happen to me"...because it can happen to ANYbody! It's waaay too easy to get caught up in all the wrong things in life for all the wrong reasons...and I promise you that every single one of us has done exactly that with at least one thing in our lives. My advice to anyone is to take a good hard look at your life, remember it CAN happen to you, figure out how to stop sweating the small stuff (and most of what we sweat IS really pretty small in the grand scheme of things!), and above all....tell the people around you how you feel about them. If you can't say "Hey, you know what? I love you and I'm so glad you're a part of my life!" out loud...don't sweat that either. That's what paper and pens are for my friends!
Workplace
When I think about high school, which isn't all that often, but now and again I guess we all take a trip down "Memory Lane" (Bad Pun, sorry!) it's still fascinating to me just how much my wants, my goals, and my needs changed almost right after high school, and how quickly that happened. When I graduated high school, I'd planned to go on to Butler University to major in either music (vocal or instrumental) or drama. I was accepted at several schools actually, and I did get a scholarship for a full ride; I just hadn't been able to make a concrete choice as to which I wanted to do. I knew that whichever way I went, I did not have what it takes to be a teacher, and that if I did get a degree in Performing Arts, I wanted to actually go on to perform!
Somewhere along the way though, I su...Expand for more
ppose that I finally realized that, while I did indeed have talent, there are a whole lot of equally talented and even more extremely talented folks out there, which makes show biz a very competitive biz...and from my brief exposure to the professional side, it was also not so pretty behind the scenes. Not to mention that it lacked a certain amount of stability that I really felt I wanted in my life. So, I did a little of this and that...worked for Teachers Credit Union and Standard Federal Bank, then Stude's and Tivoli's behind the bar, which frankly I really really enjoyed! I also modeled for awhile, catwalk and print mostly...that just wasn't my bag either. Like I said, from the inside the show biz life just isn't all that pretty. You don't know who to trust, so the wisest thing to do is not trust anyone at all. It's a very lonely life, and I wasn't anywhere NEAR the top! I realized that there was absolutely no way that I would ever be happy the way it counts if I chose to live that way, so I got out. COULD I have? I suppose that yes I could've, but hey we're faced with choices every day about things we CAN do, but what it comes down to is what we WILL or WILL NOT do. I wouldn't do it.
After I met my hubby, I found myself going in an old/new direction. My grandfather had a kennel when I was little. He bred AKC Beagles and he trained them for hunting. I realized how much I missed having animals as a big part of my life. Fortunately my hubby loves them as much as I do! I've been working for myself since 1990 as a Professional K9 Trainer (Law Enforcement K9 Unit & Narcotics Detection, as well as EOD & DOC work) and I am also an Animal Behaviorist. I still occasionally teach classes for all breeds in obedience...at all levels. I also trained dogs for SAR. I've trained many wheelchair assistance dogs, guide dogs and therapy dogs for seniors and for children. That is the greatest feeling in the world...to know that you're making a difference for people; making their lives a little bit better. For me it's like a drug and I'll always be addicted to helping others! Fortunately, we're in a financial position that allows me to do that in various ways still, despite the handicap...it keeps me sane and it keeps me humble. I LOVE what I do...and I am not unaware of how lucky that makes me!
I think it's very safe to say that I've changed a lot since high school days...and that's probably because I really hated high school. It was boring to me because the work was too easy; I never felt challenged as a student. I also never really hung out with people from my own school, since my close friends were older and/or attending other schools, including college.
By change, here's what I mean: The biggest myth about me I'd like to put paid to was that I was stuck up or conceited, etc. Actually I was very shy, insecure, and totally absorbed in my music, and acting, too. On stage was the one place I felt comfortable, because I could be anyone I chose to be. What many people mistook, I believe, for arrogance was actually extreme awkwardness. I was a loner from my earliest school years, and at the time, I didn't know how to be anyone else. I've come out of that shell though. I learned that it just doesn't matter if people judge you and you come up lacking in their eyes in some way. I always wanted to fit in, but didn't know how. Now I know that I did fit in with the people I felt comfortable with, I am still blessed with wonderful friends in my life, and whether or not you blend in high school is probably the least important thing you'll ever have to think about in your teenage years...you just don't know that until you get past it.
At the same time, who knows? Perhaps I missed out on a lot of great potential friendships. Perhaps I missed out on a lot of "good times" with fellow students. I cannot regret that though, for two reasons. First, because I can't go back and change the past even if I wanted to; and second because the memories I have of my real and so very dear friends from those days, several of whom I am still close to today, are so precious to me. Many of us still keep in touch faithfully. Anyway, I hope that puts to rest the mystery that was me back then, and I'd love to hear from any and all of the people I had passing acquaintances with throughout my school years. How you are, where you ended up, and most of all, I hope to hear that you are happy with your life choices, and enjoying life to its fullest!
Peace and Love,
Lori (Russell) Dodd
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