Political history bored me. Social and cultural history fascinates me. Wherever we've lived, I've been curious about the local story. The high school where we met in New Jersey was founded in 1766. While we lived on a family farm in South Carolina, my boss on the local paper assigned me the job of writing the town's history for the centennial. When we lived in Oregon, I volunteered to write the story of the nearby goldmining district for a local festival.

Teaching in a Bureau of Indian Affairs school brought new traditions and ideas into my life and work. During a year in central Idaho, I visited old mines.

Now that we live in Tucson, I have more to learn.It was founded by an Irishman working for the Spanish crown in the 1770's. Here I am discovering my Irish history and have met several people from Ireland who live here now.

I am also learning about Mexican and South American history, and taking a new look at the way I learned U.S. history. Tucson is an exciting place to live and learn about different cultures.

I am just learning to work with a computer, although my Panasonic word processor has taught me many things over the past few years. The machines are a challenge, but I know my writing and research will improve.