10th and Lawrence Streets, N.E. Washington D.C. 20017
Date: Sun, 18 Oct 1998 11:26:13 -0400
Tom, Chris, Bob,Terry, John and Elsie et al,
Thanks for the biographies and re-activating our reunion line! I
know I'm not one of the quiet ones, and we'd like to hear from you folks,
but in the meantime, here's my story.
Though I was an uninspired college student (the social life was
more relevant than the studies), I graduated from U of Md with a degree in
Business Administration in 1972. My plans for travel and working for VISTA
had to be set aside due to the sudden death of my Dad in '72. I decided to
stay in the area while my Mom went through her grief and adjusted.
I did move in with friends (Pat Bosma in '73-'75), but close to
home. At this point in my life, I was clear about what I was supposed to be
but didn't have a clue as to who I really was. A lot of my life as a young
single person was spent hanging out with friends. But I did hold some
interesting jobs, primarily in the editorial field. By the time I reached
27, though, I realized that the most meaningful thing in my life was my
job, and it wasn't enough. So I bought a new car (paid cash--5 grand for a
Honda Accord), quit my job and went on a 9 month cross-country camping trip
to sort things out.
Afterward I settled in the Frederick, MD, area and met my husband,
Martin, through a newspaper ad. I know what you're thinking, but remember,
it was only '78 then. It was an ad for employment, not personals. Anyway I
became a part of his mail order clothing business, Deva, and fell in love
all in one fell swoop.
We shared our home with his teenage sons, his two partners and
their child. Our cottage industry had an eclectic circle of coworkers that
included New Agers,locals who'd never been out of Frederick County and
Vietnamese boat people, among others. The energy required for a start-up
business is intense and creative and this was fun.
Then in 1981 my life took on a whole new meaning with the birth of
our daughter, Willow. In '82 when our son, Braden, came along, we moved to
nearby West Virginia and, my hands full with child care for two babies and
a 15 year-old stepson, I quit working at Deva. Martin and I dealt with
some serious problems in parenting his two sons; one had trouble with the
law and the other became mentally ill in his adolescence. The boys
eventually returned to Oregon to live with their Mom.
Awed by the experience of birth and parenting, over the ensuing 7
years I helped establish a consumer group to advocate natural births and
became a La Leche League leader (an international organization to promote
breastfeeding). When my eldest, Willow, was old enough for school, I began
home schooling, using the concepts of the Waldorf Schools for inspiration.
In '88 Martin and I rather belatedly married, much to my Mother's
relief! My daughter assures me she is the only one among her friends who
actually remembers the wedding of their natural parents--she and Braden
were our witnesses at the small city hall affair.
In '89 Martin's partners left and we bought out their share of the
business. I enrolled the children in an alternative school and returned to
Deva to manage the manufacturing operation. By 1993 after 4 years of
intense work, the business had outgrown its facilities. In the process of
seeking financing to expand, we received an attractive offer to buy it, and
we accepted.
By the end of '95 with Deva fully in the hands of its new owner,
we decided to begin this new chapter of our lives with a 6-month trip
around the world. The four of us packed some belongings--our heaviest bag
contained the travel guides--and backpacked through SE Asia, Turkey,
Greece, Bulgaria, Morocco and England. We were amazed at how many local
people took us into their homes and shared their lives with us. The trip
opened up whole new horizons, particularly to our two teenagers.
Back home again, Martin and I are now independent contractors. I
offer clothing design, apparel patternmaking and editing. I also take
design classes at Baltimore City College.
Having a family to share my adventures has been the best part of all.
Rose Gerstner