My family is very important to me, so please, read on about them!
My parents, Joel and Linda Blaskey are both natives of Fairfield, Connecticut and proud alumni of Roger Ludlowe High School (for all of you Fairfielders, that means the original Ludlowe, not the newer version).
My parents married on July 5, 1969, a month after their college graduation. On August 23, 1978, their only child, me, Joelle Lynn, was born. Upon waking the morning after my birth, a nurse infamously asked my mom, “So, who has the temper in your family?” Apparently, I was a bit restless during my first post-womb night. I like to think of it as personality, but you can draw your own conclusions. That nurse sure did. Later, when my dad returned to see mom and me, he brought with him a small gold cross with a diamond chip in its center—he wanted to be “the first man to give his daughter a diamond.” Being an only child has definitely had its advantages.
I call Education “the family business” for good reason. My mom graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with a degree in Elementary Education and has two post-graduate degrees, one in Special Education (Fairfield University) and one in Education (Sacred Heart University). She was a BEST mentor and helped many new teachers earn their provisional teaching certifications. In 1995 my mom was Stratford’s “Teacher of the Year.” The day before my Senior year of high school officially began, I snuck into the district-wide teacher meeting and was lucky enough to hear my mom’s address to all of the teacher’s in our town; I was so proud to be her daughter! My mom retired from the Stratford Public School district in 2006 after teaching for 36 years. She is currently a member of the Promise Committee, an Advisory group dedicated to the development of Pre-Kindergarten education in the town.
My dad graduated from Southern Connecticut State University with degrees in Biology and Psychology. He also has two post-graduate degrees, in Education (Fairfield University) and School Psychology (University of Bridgeport). My dad has been a professor at Housatonic Community College, University of New Haven, Sacred Heart University, Norwalk Community College, and Post University. He also served as the Dean of Admissions at the University of New Haven and as the Director of Continuing Education at Sacred Heart University and Norwalk Community College. He left academia to pursue a career in business and has worked at Sikorsky Aircraft as the Head of Career Counseling and Development and Bayer as Head of Sales Training and Meeting and Conventions/Diabetes Care. My dad recently retired from Bayer, but continues to work as corporate training and development consultant.
My parents are as much in love today as they were when they first met. As a child I never questioned what it meant to love and be loved and had an ideal model of what a marriage should be. I hope to someday have the kind of life my parents have, and so far I think I’m on the right track. The love of my life: check. Great friends: check. A rewarding and fulfilling career: check. The most demanding social schedule known to man…not yet, but maybe when I retire.
