Russ Baskett

I sometimes think retirement is busier than employment.

First, Sarah and I will probably attend the Homecoming weekend. I want to talk to Jerry and Nancy Stauffer about doing this with them. I don't know if you remember my wife from our Earlham days. She was in the class of '61 and the graduated from IU Medical School in 1965. She was a Day Dodger and known as Jo Kalb in those days.

Jerry Stauffer and I have remained friends all of these years and see each other two or three times every year. They were with us in May for several days. Jerry and I both like building projects so he came to the lake to help me install a porch ceiling on our lower porch. It was great fun and fellowship and the result is very nice. Sarah and Nancy have also been great friends all of these years so we feel very fortunate to have this close relationship for so many years.

A quick review of what I have done since EC -

1. Sarah and I married in 1961 and moved to Indianapolis. I graduated from Butler U.

2. I taught High School Biology until 1966 and then we moved to Bloomington where I completed a Masters degree and Sarah worked as a Student Health Physician

3. We moved to Columbia, MO in 1968 where I completed a Ph.D. in Microbiology while Sarah completed her Residency in Psychiatry

4. We joined the faculty at the new medical school at Texas Tech University in 1972. We were there 10 years as faculty members and I also served in the administration as the Associate Dean of the School of Medicine.

5. We moved to Murfreesboro, TN in 1982. We needed a new adventure and there was a bit of burn-out. I started a business in photography and Sarah worked part-time as a consulting Psychiatrist for several agencies.

6. In 1988 we returned to more normal lives and moved to Richmond, VA. Sarah took a position with the VA Hospital as a staff physician and a faculty position with the Medical College of Virginia. I joined the faculty of Germanna Community College in Locust Grove and later on the Fredericksburg campus.

7. We both retired in May 2001 and have lived at the lake since that time.

About Smith Mountain Lake -

Not only are we big enough to have a street named Boardwalk, our house sits at the intersection of Boardwalk and Park Place!! Since you have been coming here for several years, you have also seen the explosion in development. Much of it is good, but I wouldn't mind seeing it grow more slowly. We started coming here in 1993 and truly love it. We bought a townhouse in the Waterways near the State Park in 1999. When we made the decision to live full-time at the lake in 2001, we bought a lot in the Boardwalk development and started construction of our home. We sold the townhouse in the Fall of 2002 and moved to our new home. It has been a great move. Much to our surprise, there is a wonderful community of full-time residents at the lake. We have many friends and are involved in several community activities, mostly through our church - Trinity Ecumenical Parish - but also through other organizations. Life is good!

rcsjb@earthlink.net