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Jeff Schwartz

Marital status: Married
Children: 3
Occupation: Retired

Jana Schwarz (Keller)

Marital status: Married
Children: 6
Occupation: Retired
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: 45 years of being an RN in a variety a fields including but not limited to everything Cardiac (ICU, Step-down, Cath lab, Pacemaker, Rehab, ACLS instructor, education & drug studies to name a few) ER, GI lab, Utilization review, Home Health supervisor for Private duty, HCY & Pharmacy, Rehab Liaison and State Inspector of Nursing homes. Raised 3 children alone. Remarried and gained 3 more wonderful children and now have 4 grandchildren. Soon we will be adding our 5th grandchild.

Susan Weber (Scott)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Committed Relationship
Children: 2
Occupation: retired
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: To summarize 50 years is daunting. Looking back on my professional life, jobs I had in high school had a big influence on me – programming in the Chemistry Department at Iowa State launched my interest in Computer Science and work at the Ames Public Library taught me the need to be absorbed by my work and the skills to research anything and everything. I attended Iowa State for a BS in Math & Computer Science with summer jobs at IBM in Florida and Texas Instruments in Texas. After graduating, even though I felt done with school, I agreed to spend a year at Purdue being paid to get an MS in Computer Science at the start of my career at Bell Laboratories in Illinois. I truly enjoyed the variety and challenge of the work at Bell Labs, staying through all the shakeups at AT&T, including divestiture as well as the spinoff and subsequent rise and fall of Lucent Technologies, until I took an early retirement package in 2001. With a helpful pension, I’ve been able to do choose where to focus my energies without a full-time job, including some consulting and teaching T’ai Chi Chih, but mostly supporting my parents and family.

In my personal life, I was lucky to form lasting friendships at work and through Bell Labs extensive social activities. I met my partner, Eric Claeys, over 38 years ago at a racquetball outing. We have two sons, Kevin and Keith. Both have grown up, finished school, developed some intriguing hobbies and live a fair distance from us. Raising a family was lots of fun and really, really busy. One huge challenge for us was understanding how best to support our older son with his special needs to optimize his potential and live independently while balancing the needs of our other son and our family. Finding a school and post-secondary program in southern Illinois helped a lot. Along the way, I have treasured happy times spent with extended family and friends, plus many rewarding activities. Some highlights were traveling to interesting places here and around the world; enjoying the great outdoors – biking, camping, beach walking, softball, golfing, skiing, hiking, solar eclipses, auroras, star gazing; exploring new pursuits – racquetball, musical instruments (oboe, carillon, dulcimer, steel pan, cello), T’ai Chi Chih teacher, Reiki Master; and learning about astrophotography, Eric’s passion.

Janet Bunker (Seim)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: retired from teaching
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: After graduation from AHS I attended ISU and received my degree in Elementary Education. Fresh out of college, I took a job teaching Learning Disabilities in Boone, IA for 3 years. In the summer of 1978, I married Dave Bunker, whom I had dated since our days at Central Jr. High together. We will celebrate our 45th wedding anniversary in June.
My next and final stop teaching was back in Ames, where I taught Elementary Media Technology after completing my Master's Degree from Drake University. I retired in 2013 after 37 years. I continued to substitute teach for another 7 years until the Covid pandemic arrived. Currently, I am working part-time for classmate, Kim Wass, as a receptionist at his orthodontics practice.
Our two sons, Matthew and Erik, both graduated from Ames High and Iowa State. We have 5 grandchildren, 3 in Ames and 2 in St. Paul. We still enjoy living in Ames and spending time with family and friends. Looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion.

Joann Kane (Shaughnessy)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Speech and Language Pathologist
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: I have spent 35+ years in school system and private clinic, helping two to five year old children learn to communicate. I have two amazing sons, 1 amazing daughter-in-law, and 1 amazing grandson.

Michael Shay

Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: commercial photographer
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: BA from University of Iowa (Photography, German, Poetry Writers' Workshop) Master of Creative Arts (CEIA), San Francisco State University. Happily married 46 years-2 grandchildren. Lived in San Francisco 13 years and Portland, Oregon for 30 years. Have always worked (and taught) commercial photography, starting in product and fashion photography and later specializing in food photography. Published poet-literary journals, several anthologies and my own book in 2020, "The Words I Own" by Reprobate/GobQ Books. Hobbies include karate, beer brewing, motorcycle riding and travel.
Comment: Sorry I can't make-still working after all these years and still having fun. Best wishes to everyone!

Tia Watson (Slater)

Then Then
Now Now
Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired , Corporate Communications, Deere & Company
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: I’ve worked in communications my whole life - thank you Mary Reno and Grace Bauske! After graduating from Iowa State with a degree in journalism, I began my career in television news as a reporter and anchor, first in Mason City, then Davenport, Iowa. I eventually left tv and moved into Public Relations for the local Red Cross chapter, then Mercy Hospital. John Deere recruited me away from healthcare and I finished my career as an executive speechwriter and communication manager for the company’s Corporate Citizenship function. I retired in 2019 and haven’t looked back. These days I volunteer with the Red Cross, Junior Achievement and various church activities. My running days are over, but I’m an avid pickleball player and golfer. My husband Jim and I enjoy traveling, cheering on the Cyclones and escaping Iowa winters in Florida. We are the proud parents of two children, Katie, who works in property management and lives with her family in Cedar Rapids, and Alex, an actor, who lives in Denver. Life is pretty darned good! We are indeed blessed.

Scott Smith (Smith)

Marital status: Married
Children: 2
Occupation: Retired from Education/ Manage an historic Movie Theater in Winterset, Iowa
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: 50 f*%#ing year. Who would have believed it!
Today my husband and I live on an old farmstead/hobby farm in beautiful Madison County, Iowa. We've been here 20 years. We tend the gardens and take care of horses, sheep, goats, alpacas, emu, geese, peacocks, cats, and dogs. Yes, it's quite the menagerie. We joke that our friends started traveling and we bought the farm. I am starting up a small fiber business from our wool and alpaca fiber and in retirement I manage an historic movie theater in Winterset. I am active in directing with our local community theater. Life is full and busy.
Getting here was a journey that seems to have flown by. After high school I graduated from UNI with a BA in Education with emphasis in Speech/theater/English teaching. I began teaching in Madrid, Iowa at the high school level. Got married for the first time right out of college.
When I hit 25 I stopped teaching and went to Iowa State where I managed the theater program out of the Maintenance Shop and the summer resident theater company, MURST. During this time my ex-wife and I had two children a boy and a girl.
Wanting a better schedule for the family and kids I went next to the University of Iowa for an MFA in Arts Management. During this time my wife and I divorced and I sprang out of the closet, so to speak.
She moved back to Des Moines and I decided the most important thing was to be a father, so I followed and ended up back in education for 30 more years. I met my husband during this time and we spent the early years helping raise the kids and attending show choir and music events and shuffling them around. Typically delightful parenting stuff. After the kids graduated from Roosevelt High School in Des Moines, we found the farm and moved here. We commuted into Des Moines for work then for many years. I taught at Urbandale High School and moved to Urbandale Middle School in the 6th grade. Did a short stint building an at risk school and then ended my teaching career in Johnston, Iowa at Summit teaching 6th grade, my favorite. I retired 6 years ago after 33 years in education.
We got married on the farm in 2009, when the Iowa Supreme Court ruled we could. We have been together 34 years now. Our daughter got married on the farm in 2014.
In addition to farm and movie theater and community theater, we enjoy our too small time with our delightful grandkids. Although they live in Virginia, we visit regularly back and forth. We converted a corncrib on the farm to a cottage and our daughter and grandson lived there while husband/daddy/son-in-law was deployed for 9 months. A treasured time with family. Our son was in LA for many years and we are now enjoying having him back in Iowa and watching him in shows he is in.
We love guests. Come and visit, bring the grandkids to an Iowa farm stuck in the 50's. Enjoy the beautiful bridges and activities in Madison County.

Larry Sorenson (Sorenson)

Children: 3
Occupation: retired
So, what have you been doing for the last 50 years?: worked a variety of jobs. married, just had our 42nd anniversary and have 3 boys. Now we are raising 3 of our grand kids. After hanging around race tracks for years I climbed into a race car for 11 years but sold it to retire.

David Sprowell