Today's Featured Biography

 
Pat Lambert Vlah

Hello Classmates! Half a century since we graduated from Lago. Can you believe??? Isn't it wonderful that we will be celebrating our 50th class reunion. Think of the fun we are going to have traveling down memory lane and reconnecting with one another.

I attended Centenary College For Women in Hacketstown, New Jersey, for two years. I then transferred to Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where I received my Bachelor of Arts Degree in Liberal Arts in 1963. I enjoyed my college experiences. The highlight was meeting my husband, Dick, soon after arriving on campus. Dick was an education major and he also was a member of the Miami football team. After we graduated from Miami, Dick and I flew to Aruba where we were married at St. Theresa's Church in San Nicholas. We spent our honeymoon in Aruba. In June, 2008, we celebrated our 45th anniversary and, after all these years, he still makes me laugh, love and enjoy the moment. He is a treasure and my very best friend.

We settled in Ohio where Dick grew up. Dick started teaching and working on his Master's Degree. I was employed with General Electric Company working as an Executive Secretary for the General Manager of the Overseas Lamp Division. After three years, I resigned as we were hoping to start a family.

We have three children: Steven (40), Jennifer (36) and Kathryn -- better known as KC (34).

Steve is single and lives in Seattle on his boat. He works at a boutique hotel in downtown Seattle. His passion is sailing and every year he takes a month off and he and his lady friend, Rae, sail the San Juan Islands and up the inside passage.

Jennifer and husband Alex live in San Francisco and have three children: Jordan (5), Jessica (3) and Maxwell (2). Alex is a California native. He met Jennifer in Atlanta where she was working as an investment banker with Bank of America and he was a financial analyst with BOA. Alex and Jennifer also have a boat and they often accompany Steve sailing.

Our youngest daughter, KC, also lives in San Francisco with her husband Brian and daughter, Katie Piper (18 months). KC is employed with Microsoft as a Project Manager. KC and Brian are expecting their second child in January.

I was a stay-at-home mom for a number of years and then decided to go back to work as the kids got older. I chose a school system so I would have the same time off as our children and Dick. I started back to work as an on-call secretary in an elementary school in Shaker. Before I knew it, I was full time and then was promoted to Executive Assistant to the Superintendent of Schools in Shaker Heights. It was a rewarding experience and I enjoyed learning what goes on in a school district - the politics, funding, school financing, testing, parental involvement and the inner workings of a school system. Dick, at this time, was an administrator at Shaker Heights High School so it was an added bonus working together.

Our lives have been full and happy and content. Our children have enriched us in every way. They are active, healthy, athletic and keep us involved. I am the non-athlete in our family although they make sure I don't hang behind. Dick has had the pleasure of running a couple of New York marathons with Jennifer and KC. KC has participated in several IronMan Triathlons with her husband, Brian. KC was recruited to play basketball at Bucknell University. She was their
starting point guard for four years and a business major. She was awarded the NCAA scholarship to continue her Masters Degree at BU.

Since we have been retired, Dick and I travel as much as we can. We enjoy cruising and have cruised extensively in the Mediterranean.

We frequently visit the kids on the west coast and they enjoy coming home to Ohio.

Closer to home, one of our favorite places is Hilton Head, South Carolina. And we continue to return to Aruba every year.

We are heading to Europe on September 11th for a bike trip. My younger sister Helene and husband Jerry will join us. Helene is the one who organizes these bike trips. We fly to Zurich for a couple of nights and then start the bike trip in Constance, Germany, around the Lake. We will bike for 8 days visiting three countries: Austria, Germany and Italy and end up in Lake Como for four nights. We did a bike trip with Helene and Jerry two years ago. Biked from Passau, Germany,
to Vienna. It was great fun.

We keep busy at home. We have some 16 acres of land with eight rental apartments. Dick's brother, Tom and family, live next door so there is always something to do or fix on the property.

I enjoy reading, listening to books on tape, walking, biking and, best of all, our family.

For Dick and me, it only gets better. Looking forward to seeing you.

All the best, Pat

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