Joan Roberts Upshaw

I left Edgewood in June 1962, attended Penn State, married in 1963, graduated from Penn State in 1965, moved to northern California in August 1965. I have been here ever since - now live in Oakland, just across the bay from San Francisco. I began teaching in Sept. 1965, middle school English; and retired from teaching in 2003, after a great career of almost 35 years. After 10 years at the middle school level, I moved to high school - taught in a upwardly mobile community with mainly gifted students; changed schools and communities, and found my real niche in working with remedial students in high school English/reading. Taught in psychiatric hospitals, continuation high schools, and special ed classes.

I had two children, son Dan, 36 yrs old, lives in Portland, OR, married, no children; daughter Sarah, 34 years old, lives in Kirkland, WA, not married, no children. I divorced after 34 years of marriage, was single for 6 years, remarried in 2004 to a great guy with 4 children and 10 grandchildren (ranging in age from newborn to college freshman), so have all the grandchildren contact one could ever want. One of his daughter's was in the 2004 and 2008 Olympics in track, so have spent the past 6 years traveling pretty much all over the world following her career; and then at the end of each trip, staying on and doing our own touring and adventuring.

Over the years I have been an avid skier, tennis player, runner - and now that my knees are completely shot, I have transitioned to golf and long distance hiking/walking. I volunteer in various tutoring agencies, volunteer for the Oakland Museum, and in general enjoy life.