Meet our Treasurer, Helen G. Leddy!
Believe it or not, the Weequahic section of Newark, NJ was a wonderful place to grow up. Both my elementary and high schools were within walking distance of my home. Public transportation was readily available for trips to NYC, and for visits to family and friends. I started school and graduated from high school with many of the same friends. It is the reason why high school reunions are a gala event for memory renewal.
After graduating from the University of Vermont, I attended Rutgers University School of Library Service where I received my MLS. I also met and married a fellow classmate with whom I subsequently parented three wonderful children.
For the next several years, I was a school librarian (and mother) in various secondary schools in NJ and NY. In 1970, our family relocated to New Paltz, NY where I began a position as the Director of the Faculty of Education Curriculum Center. My husband was a Reference Librarian in the university library. Our children were in the Campus School. I began work on my doctorate to ensure a continuing career in academia. Life was beautiful (until it wasn’t.)
Tragically, Scott, our son who had brain cancer, died in 1974 upsetting the family equilibrium. My husband and I divorced, and in 1979 I moved to Maine to begin a new relationship. My 11-year-old son moved with me; my daughter who was a senior in high school remained in New Paltz.
Excellent work ensued though not in academia. I was the Director of the Pediatric Play Program at Maine Medical Center for 4 ½ years. One of my job responsibilities was the co-facilitation of a Grieving Parents Group. I then spent 16 years as a Human Resources professional, first in a hotel and then at a large regional health center. My final job, before retirement, was Adoption/Foster Family Educator for the University of Southern Maine.
For the first several years of retirement, we were seasonal residents. We still had a lakeside home in Maine, which we sold in 2014, and became full-time Florida residents. Also, in 2014, I became a full-time graduate student at FGCU. I began a 5-year quest to finally complete my doctoral degree. I graduated in May 2019 with an EdD, an unfinished quest that had been on my bucket list for 45 years.
My mindfulness meditation practice began in 2011 when I participated in an evening group with a woman who had been a long-time practitioner. I meditated sporadically but read voraciously. I was elated to join the Caloosahatchee Mindfulness book group where I met incredibly wonderful fellow travelers. We have traveled together through many books over the years, and I have been a diligent student of mindfulness with active daily practice. Serving on the CM Board is one way for me to give to this special community which serves the greater community with kindness, love, and spiritual practice.
