Matt Bilger Story

 Making a Difference in the Classroom and on the Grid Iron                                                          

“The influence of teachers extends beyond the classroom, well into the future.”              

– F. Sionil Jose.

Childhood experiences among siblings are often similar, with these experiences varying from family to family. Although it is common for siblings to share similar stories, this is not always the case. Harper Creek High School Social Studies teacher Matt Bilger grew up with brothers and sisters, having interests revolving around the performing arts. As a child in the Bilger family, it would have seemed likely that Matt would have spent much of his free time being immersed in activities revolving around music and theater, but this was not how his childhood played out. As a young child, Matt would enjoy experiences different from those of his siblings, which would eventually lead to his future as a teacher and a coach. 

Matt shared some of his childhood history.  “I was born in Ann Arbor in 1989 and grew up in Livonia. My grandmother was a teacher with Livonia Public Schools, and my grandfather was a patrol officer for the Detroit Police Department initially, before being promoted to detective. My mom, Kathy, attended Michigan State University (MSU) to become a teacher, but eventually became a stay-at-home mom. My dad, Donald, grew up in Wisconsin. He won the National Merit Scholarship in high school, with MSU offering him a full-ride academic scholarship. My parents met while attending MSU, with Mom earning a teaching degree and Dad earning an engineering degree. They were married after finishing at MSU, and then they moved to Massachusetts to begin their lives together. Mom started teaching while in Massachusetts, and Dad worked for Bell Labs.”

Donald and Kathy spent four years in Massachusetts before coming back home to start their family. “When Mom and Dad returned to Michigan, Dad accepted a job as an engineer for Ford, working there for thirty-two years before retiring, Matt recalled. “Mom and Dad started a family with Mom staying home to raise me and my siblings. My older brother, Michael, was born in 1983, after Mom and Dad moved back to Michigan. I was born in 1989. My sister, Chrissy, was born two years after me, and my younger brother, Mark, was born four years after Chrissy. We were a Catholic family.” 

Growing up, Matt’s three siblings had much in common, but Matt didn’t share these same traits. This would lead to Matt having different interests than his brothers and sister. Matt reflected on this. “All of my siblings went to the gifted school in Livonia. I had some medical issues when I was born. I developed some hearing issues, so I wasn’t able to attend the gifted school. The schools we attended were not the only major difference between me and my siblings. They grew up with slender body types, while I was more stocky.” 

Donald’s side of the family had roots in music. “My dad was a musician, an interest he shared with his family,” Matt explained. “My uncle was first trumpet for the Philadelphia Symphony Orchestra and also taught music at the collegiate level.” Because of the musical interests of Donald’s family, Matt’s siblings became involved in the performing arts growing up, but Matt would pick up interests in other activities. 

 Like Matt, his mom and dad were also overweight. It seemed that they didn’t want Matt to follow in their footsteps in this way. “Because of my weight, my parents pushed me to play sports,” Matt said. “I was the first in my family to participate in athletics. They signed me up for football in the third grade. There were weight restrictions to participate, so I had to drop weight every summer just to be able to play. I also participated in karate, basketball, and lacrosse throughout my elementary school years. When I started middle school, I narrowed my athletic focus to just football and wrestling.” 

Matt and his siblings eventually moved out of Livonia Public Schools to another district. “My older brother began to be bullied in high school,” Matt recalled. “After this, my grandmother insisted that we attend a Catholic school. Financially, we could not have made this work without the help of my grandmother. She had received a substantial sum of money from a wrongful death settlement as a result of a fatal accident my grandfather was involved in while vacationing in Florida after his retirement. The money she received allowed her to pay for our tuition.”

Making the move to a Catholic school provided a boost for Matt as an athlete. He reflected on his four years of high school. “I enrolled at Detroit Catholic Central High School as a freshman. Detroit Catholic has always had a strong athletic presence, including a notable football program. By the time I arrived, they had won three consecutive state championships. I made varsity in my junior year and started as a senior.” Detroit Catholic played in a very competitive conference, the Detroit Catholic League. “There were three athletes from the Detroit Catholic League Conference my senior year who eventually played in the NFL, including one of my teammates, Mike Martin, Geoffrey Pope, who played for University of Detroit Jesuit High School, and Grant Mason, who played for Orchard Lake St. Mary’s,”  Matt said. “In addition, many of my teammates went on to play college football. The high level of coaching and training helped me to excel as a center for our offensive line.” College scouts were always coming in to observe many of Detroit Catholic’s football players, which helped to provide Matt with exposure for prospective college coaches. “During my senior year, many Division 3 schools in the area were recruiting me. I chose Albion College because it offered me the most academic scholarships. They also had the best program for teaching out of the other schools that were recruiting me. I graduated from Catholic Central in 2007 and began to transition from high school to college.”

Matt’s experience as a student athlete for Albion College would pave the way for him as a teacher and a coach. Matt reflected on his time at Albion. “Growing up, I wanted to follow in either my grandfather’s footsteps as a police officer or my mom’s and grandmother’s footsteps as a teacher. Being recruited to play football for Albion helped to guide my career choice. I made up my mind to be a teacher because Albion had a great teaching program.” Playing football and the curriculum he was exposed to at Albion prepared Matt to teach and coach, but there were other opportunities during this time as well that influenced him. “While at Albion, I started coaching young athletes at Lifetime Fitness in Canton, Michigan, during my winter and summer breaks,” Matt explained. “They had a youth program with sports camps that I helped with. This experience made me realize that I was good at coaching kids.”  Seeing that mentoring youth was something that seemed to come naturally for Matt helped to fuel his passion for coaching and teaching. Playing football had been a huge part of Matt’s life thus far, but his time as a competitive athlete would soon end. He was happy to extend his football career with Albion College, but it was also time to plan for his future beyond being an athlete. “I wanted to coach high school athletics and teach at the secondary level,” Matt explained. “I pursued coursework to obtain a secondary physical education and history teaching certificate. My professors at Albion College really helped me prepare to be a teacher. I was blessed with experiences to hone my classroom management skills.” 

Matt was small compared to most linemen he would play with and against at the college level. He talked about his college football career. “I was undersized as a lineman for Albion College. My coaches and trainers immediately put me on a diet and weight training program. When I started at Ablion, I weighed 235 pounds, and by the time I left, I topped the scales at 285 pounds. Dustin Beurer came on board in my junior year as the offensive line coach. He was a great teacher of schemes. I started playing special teams as a junior, and then as a senior, I was the starting center. My senior year, we finished with a five and five record, good enough for a second-place finish in the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA).” Matt graduated from Albion College in 2011 with his teaching degree and many experiences to help him make a difference in the classroom and on the playing field.

Matt began working for Harper Creek, January 2012, after graduating from Albion in December. By this time, he was very familiar with Harper Creek. “I came to Harper Creek to student teach under Dave VanGeison and Greg Pastor in the middle school during the fall semester of 2011,” Matt recalled. “At the time, I had never heard of Harper Creek and knew nothing about the district.” Although Matt wasn’t sure what to expect, it turned out to be a great fit for him. “I also helped coach the JV football team with Chad Dishaw, and then I would help out on Friday nights with the varsity team. It was a great year to coach at Harper Creek. There were three D1 college players on that team, including  Kelby Latta, who went to Central Michigan to play football, Josh Bass, who played for Western Michigan, and Casey Carson, who played at Western Michigan. Our team made a deep and memorable run in the playoffs. This was my first experience coaching football. I fell in love with it. The players and coaches were amazing.” Matt also met his future wife, Nicole Rial, a 2006 Harper Creek graduate, while student teaching at the middle school. Nicole was a para-professional at the middle school at the time and also did some coaching for Harper Creek. The two of them hit it off and started dating during Matt’s semester of student teaching.

Matt finished his student teaching and extended his stay at Harper Creek. He reflected on this chapter in his life. “I began substitute teaching for Harper Creek in January 2012 and also coached middle school wrestling in the winter and Varsity lacrosse in the spring. Eventually, I became the head Varsity lacrosse coach and head middle school wrestling coach. I went back to school to obtain my social studies certification, taking classes at Western Michigan, KCC, and Albion College.” After a semester working as a substitute teacher, Matt came back to Harper Creek in the fall of 2012 as a para professional in the middle school, while continuing to help coach the football, wrestling, and lacrosse teams.  He continued working as a para-professional and coach at Harper Creek for two years before transitioning to his first teaching position. “ I accepted a job offer with Pennfield in the fall of 2014  as a sixth-grade social studies teacher,”  Matt said.  “I also joined the football coaching staff at Pennfield as the Varsity offensive line coach and defensive backs coach, and eventually transitioned to defensive coordinator for the JV team, while also helping out with the Varsity team on Friday nights in the press box. During this time, we mounted one of the school's two playoff runs since joining the I-8 conference.” Matt also took over the lacrosse team as head coach for Pennfield during his time there. 

Matt and Nicole were married in 2015. Matt was settling into his life as a husband and his career as a teacher. He had established a comfortable routine, but a change was on the horizon. Harper Creek posted a position for a US History teacher during the summer of 2017. Matt was torn between staying at Pennfield and going back to Harper Creek. “In the summer of 2017, a freshman US History teaching job became available at Harper Creek,” Matt explained. “I wasn’t sure if I wanted to come back to Harper. I was happy at Pennfield and was on the fence. My wife was a Harper graduate, and we knew that our kids would go to school at Harper Creek someday. Ultimately, I decided to go to Harper to teach US History. I stepped back into coaching immediately and was on the Varsity football staff helping Dennis Stansbury with the offensive and defensive line. I was also the JV head lacrosse coach. The following year, I became the defensive coordinator for the Varsity lacrosse team.” 

Since joining Harper Creek as a full-time teacher and coach, Matt has taken on a variety of roles. “During my time at Harper Creek, I have taught US History, Civics and Economics, Senior Social Studies, Personal Finance, and AP Government,” Matt recalled. “Currently, I am the District Curriculum Council (DCC) chair for the Social Studies department. I was also the power-lifting coach for two years. I also teach Distributive Education Clubs of America (DECA), which deals with teaching kids the nuances of the business world.” 

Matt has found a career that he is truly passionate about and one that offers him a great amount of fulfillment. He summarized how working with our students and athletes has created contentment for him. “I love teaching and am proud of what I have accomplished.  Last year, I was named our high school’s teacher of the year, which I consider quite an honor and am thankful for. I have mentored several student teachers. I feel that helping to guide future teachers and offer them experience is very important. Each group of kids brings a different experience. I enjoy interacting with the kids. They bring so much energy each day. I have found that kids really do want to learn. After fifteen years of teaching, I have realized that we have kids in our schools who need love and care. If you want kids to succeed as a teacher or coach, you have to care for them.” 

Matt has become a part of the Harper Creek community as a staff member and also with his family, enhancing this connection on a personal level as well. He talked about his family dynamics and the ties to Harper Creek. “Our first child, Landry, was born in 2017. She is in third grade at Beadle Lake. Our second child, Colson, was born in 2019. He is in first grade at Beadle Lake. Nicole spent two years as a para-professional for the middle school before accepting a job as a medical social worker. She worked in the medical field for six years and now works as a social worker for the ISD. She has still found a way to be connected to Harper Creek on a professional level. She is the women’s head Varsity track coach for Harper Creek. She has also helped with cross country. Before helping out with the cross-country team, Nicole coached volleyball for Harper Creek for many years. We both love coaching, but it does require quite a commitment. There was one point in our relationship where both of us were coaching for three seasons.”  

The teaching profession can certainly dish out moments of frustration and anxiety, but hopefully, for those who have made a lifetime career out of it, those distractions can be taken in stride. At times, it may be difficult to see through the clutter of each day, but the moments of joy that come from teaching outweigh the moments of struggle. To be able to come into work each day to something that rewards the soul is a blessing. Matt has been and continues to be a recipient of this blessing. It seems that teaching and coaching have been and continue to be a source of contentment for him. 

Wyatt Smart Story

 Modern Medicine

“Health is the greatest of human blessings.”

—Hippocrates

Through the aging process, we as adults deal with various ailments that are common among our peers. Treatments that have come with technology and modern medicine allow us to continue living our lives with minimal disruption. Changes in routine may be required, but with these adjustments, we are often able to continue with our normal work and activity routine. Although children normally do not have to navigate each day with health concerns, they are not immune. Harper Creek junior Wyatt Smart has lived with Type 1 diabetes for the past four years. His diagnosis initially jolted his family with a wave of emotions, including fear and uncertainty. Although he and his parents face each day with a bit more caution than they may have before his diagnosis, technology in the medical arena, combined with healthy choices, has allowed Wyatt to continue life as a normal teen with some interventions in place to monitor his condition and help provide his body with what is needed to face the rigors of teenage life.

Wyatt’s life experiences are similar to those of many of his peers. He talked about some of his childhood history. “I was born July 4, 2008, in Indianapolis. One of my earliest childhood memories is of my grandpa teaching me how to fish. Fishing with my dad and my grandpa has provided some of my fondest memories. I still do some fishing on my grandparents’ lake over by Adrian, Michigan.” Wyatt is the oldest of two children for his parents, Craig and Rhonda Smart. His brother Conner, a Harper Creek freshman,  is three years younger than him. Rhonda is a teacher at Wattles Park Elementary, and Craig teaches at the Doris Klausen Center. 

Other than his mom being a teacher in elementary school, his memories of being a student at Wattles Park are similar to those of many children during their elementary school years. “It was nice to be able to go to school with Mom each morning and come home at night with her. I wanted Mom to be my teacher when I was in second grade, but she didn’t think that was a good idea. I always enjoyed hanging out with my friends on the tire swings at recess. I am still good friends with some of my friends from Wattles Park. Ryland Pastor has been one of my best friends since Kindergarten. We are both in the marching band and the jazz band.”

Making the jump from elementary school to Middle School for Wyatt meant waking up an hour earlier each day and not being in the same building as his mom. He reflected on this transition. “Moving on to middle school was a little weird at first. It took time to get used to knowing other students who weren’t at Wattles with me. In time, I made new friends.” Playing in the band would become one of Wyatt’s favorite activities starting in Middle School.  “I started band in 5th grade. My class was the last group that had band in 5th grade. Now it starts in the 6th grade. I started playing just the trumpet, but now I am learning the bass guitar. I’m hoping that by the time I am a senior, I can start playing bass guitar for some songs for our jazz band concerts.” Band has provided balance in Wyatt’s life. He talked about what being in the band means to him. “I like band. I love playing the trumpet. Much of the music we play is amazing. Because of band, I have a great group of friends. I see myself continuing to play the trumpet and guitar after high school, and I may try to join a jazz band when I go off to college.” 

Wyatt began playing hockey when he was eight years old, an activity he continues to enjoy today. He shared some details about playing hockey. “I started with the Battle Creek Bruins,  playing for them until I was eleven years old. When I turned twelve, I began playing for the Broncos in Kalamazoo. Later, I played with a team in Lansing for three years when I was thirteen. Now I play for the Battle Creek Bruins again.” Hockey has turned into a passion for Wyatt. “I love the game of hockey,” he said. “Skating is something that I enjoy very much. The game of hockey is a fun environment to be in.” The thrill of competition and being an athlete despite being diabetic has given a new meaning to the game for Wyatt, but like most sports, it is more than an athletic competition. “I have made many friends through hockey, and it's always fun hanging out with them on the ice. It does take up a lot of time, but it is always worth it. During the season, I probably spend ten hours per week on hockey. One thing that does get difficult with hockey is that it takes away time that I could be spending with my non-hockey friends.” 

 

Hockey has always been Wyatt’s primary sport, but he also participated in swimming in 7th grade. It was then that he began noticing some physical changes. “ I started getting bad cramps,” Wyatt said. “We thought they were for swimming. The muscle cramps were getting worse. My leg would cramp up so bad that I couldn’t move my foot. I started getting tired, I was always dehydrated even though I was drinking plenty of water, and I started losing weight.” Craig and Rhonda finally decided it was time to go see the doctor. “The doctor said that the symptoms I was experiencing were from my going through puberty. The doctor suggested that I drink a protein shake after every practice. I did this for a while, but I continued to lose weight nonetheless. We went back to the doctor two more times. After the third time, a blood test was ordered, which confirmed that I had type 1 diabetes.” 

Now that Wyatt finally had a diagnosis, his life would change. He would have to live with diabetes for the rest of his life, but the diagnosis brought with it a plan of treatment to help him live his life as normally as possible. Wyatt described what things have been put in place to keep his condition manageable. “After being diagnosed, I started eating more snacks between meals to keep my blood sugar stable. I also cut out a lot of carbs and ate more protein.” In a short time, Wyatt has learned much about diabetes. He has become his own advocate and has seized the opportunity to educate others. “Carbs will raise blood sugar,” he explained. “For individuals with diabetes, the pancreas stops working, and therefore the body doesn’t have insulin. Insulin helps to break down carbs into energy, so without insulin, carbs are not beneficial. Without the insulin, carbs are not broken down and they are absorbed into the body as sugar.” Wyatt went on to describe the symptoms he was experiencing prior to his diagnosis and treatment. “Because I was not getting the nutrients I needed, my body was taking my fat stores for energy. This is why I was losing weight. I also felt tired all the time and didn’t have energy because my body couldn’t utilize the energy from the food I was eating. My body needs insulin to survive, so I have to take it several times a day. I also take vitamin D daily because diabetics tend to have low vitamin D levels.” The amount of insulin that Wyatt takes day to day is dependent on his blood sugar level. “For the most part, if I eat like I am supposed to eat and use insulin when needed, I am able to function as a teenager and an athlete and have enough energy to get through the day. I am connected to an insulin pump most of the day. I take it off when I play hockey. I wear a device on my arm that reads my blood sugar level and alerts my pump to give me insulin when needed. Normal blood sugar level is 80-100. If my blood sugar gets too high, my pump will start giving my body insulin.” For Wyatt, staying healthy and out of a dangerous situation requires more than a device reading his blood sugar and a pump providing insulin for his body. “If my blood sugar goes below 70, I need to eat something right away. Even though the device alerts my monitor, I can usually tell if my sugar level is too high or too low. I will usually cramp up, become tired, or have a headache because of being dehydrated when I am high. I will feel shaky and weak when I am low. It’s not the pancreas that is compromised; it's the body's immune system, which is compromised, because diabetes is an autoimmune disease.” 

It is critical for Wyatt and his parents to understand the nuances of diabetes and to recognize when his blood sugar reaches unsafe levels and what to do when this happens. It is also important for Wyatt’s teachers and coaches to have some basic knowledge of his diagnosis and treatment plan. Dealing with diabetes on a personal level and learning about its side effects, and managing it have taught Wyatt the importance of implementing a healthy lifestyle. Wyatt explained why being educated about a disease is important for not just the person with the disease but also those who interact with these individuals. “I feel that teachers should know what students in their classrooms have serious health concerns, be made aware of symptoms and how to handle specific situations, and provide substitute teachers with some basic information about this on their lesson plans.”

Diabetes has no doubt changed Wyatt’s life. It has also done the same for his family. Wyatt elaborated on the role his parents have played in his life as a diabetic. “Having both parents as teachers and being in the buildings that they teach in has been great. When my dad was teaching at the high school, it was extra reassuring for me as a diabetic. Also, my dad has changed his eating habits because of my diabetes, because the way a diabetic eats is really the healthier way all people should eat.”

Although dealing with a childhood disease may equip kids with traits such as determination and smarter decision-making, no parent wants their child to go through the trials of a health scare. Rhonda shared her reflections on the impact of being a parent with a diabetic child has had on her. “When Wyatt was first diagnosed, there was a lot of worry. I was concerned about how diabetes would impact the rest of his life. It was exhausting physically, emotionally, and financially. Initially, insurance wouldn’t pay for his monitor. I regularly have to fight for insurance to cover his diabetic supplies. Before Wyatt had the monitor, I would set my alarm at 2 AM every night to check his blood sugar. When insurance finally paid for the technology, it made things a little easier. His monitor will automatically alert me through an app on my phone when his blood sugar is off. We have learned a lot, and so things are easier because we know how to deal with them better. Not long after Wyatt’s diagnosis, our entire family attended a two-day training at Bronson to learn as much as we could about diabetes and how to manage it.  I have become an advocate for people to understand other people who have diabetes or other serious illnesses.”

Seeing anyone deal with a major illness is not easy. Witnessing it with a child adds a layer of difficulty to this. Modern medicine has made it much easier for normal life to continue with adjustments. Wyatt’s persistence in becoming educated about his disease has served him well and will continue to benefit him for the rest of his life. His willingness to be an advocate for and teach others willing to listen will help those currently dealing with diabetes and future diabetics. 

Karen Westlake Story

 Seeing the World

“The world is a book and those who do not travel read only one page.”

—-St. Augustine

Many people spend a significant portion of their lives working forty hours a week, living their lives in a manner that is typical of most individuals from early adulthood through middle age and into retirement. Memories are made during this time with friends and family, and the years spent earning a living in a career. There are ample opportunities for play during this season of life, with week-long vacations to remote destinations within our country's borders and abroad, as well as long weekend excursions closer to home. These trips are always fun and full of good times, but many look to retirement, saving money for longer periods of time for travel. Imagine spending a long career working hard while having these frequent opportunities to see the world. Wattles Park Elementary lunch aide, Karen Westlake, enjoyed a fulfilling career as an International Flight Attendant, embracing each opportunity to travel across the oceans multiple times each year. 

Karen spent much of her career taking up residence in three of the world’s largest metropolises, while living on the East Coast in New York City, early in her career, moving on to the West Coast and San Francisco and Los Angeles later, before moving back to her childhood home, Battle Creek. She reflected on some of the highlights from her childhood. “I was born on August 26, 1943, at Borgess Hospital in Kalamazoo to Margaret Averill/Krauchunas and Al Krauchunas. My brother Jim came three years later. I attended kindergarten at Lakeview, and then spent first grade through eighth grade at St. Joseph Elementary.” Karen went on to St. Phillip Catholic High School, from St. Joe, graduating in 1961. “I didn’t participate in a lot of extracurricular activities while in school,” Karen said, “but I was a cheerleader.”

Karen made many memories as a child outside of school hours as well. “Growing up, we spent much of the summers at our family cottage on Gun Lake,”  Karen recalled. “We spent our days swimming and water skiing. When we weren’t at the cottage, we were at Bailey Park, where my dad umpired baseball and coached Little League teams that my brother played on. Another highlight growing up was always having pets, mostly cats and dogs.”  

Karen’s parents moved around some, but eventually established roots in Battle Creek. “I was a toddler when World War 2 started,” Karen said.  “Mom and I stayed in Kalamazoo while Dad joined the Navy and was stationed in the Pacific. Dad was one of twenty-three survivors of three Destroyer ships that were sunk in a typhoon. For three days, he and the others clung to a life raft in raging winds and rains before being rescued by a hospital ship.” It was a dangerous and scary situation for Karen’s father, but fortunately, he was not injured. Karen gave more details about her childhood after her dad’s time in the Navy. “After Dad was discharged from the Navy, we moved to Grand Rapids for a  short while and then to Battle Creek, where he worked as the Director of Parks and Recreation, after which he went to work for the public relations department at Eatons until he retired.”

After graduating from St. Phil, Karen continued with her education. “I attended and graduated from KCC,”  Karen explained. “Then, I went to Michigan State, where I studied English Literature and Education. At the time, I wanted to be a teacher.” Karen seemed content continuing at Michigan State to earn her teaching degree, but an unexpected opportunity intrigued her, and she shifted her focus. “During spring break of my second year at MSU, a friend of mine asked me to drive her to Detroit for an interview to be a flight attendant for Pam Am Airlines. I accompanied her into the Pan Am office, and the receptionist handed me an application, telling me that I might as well fill this out too.” 

Karen hadn’t considered dropping out of school before the drive to Detroit with her friend. She completed the job application for Pan Am on a whim, not expecting to be offered a job or even an interview. “They offered me a job on the spot, and without really thinking about it, I quit school. Pan Am sent me to Miami for training, and my life changed forever.” 

After training in Miami, Karen moved to the Big Apple. “I started working for Pam Am in 1963,” she explained. “Initially, I was based out of New York, staying there for nine years. I lived in Manhattan for three years and then Long Island for six years.”  Karen may have been a small-town girl from the Upper Midwest, but the big city life left a lasting impact on her. “I loved living in Manhattan. I shared an apartment overlooking the East River with four other flight attendants. We were rarely all there together because of differing flight schedules. It was the 1960s. We dressed in nice clothes and high heels anywhere we went, even if it was just to go to the grocery store.”  It seemed that every day in New York City was filled with energy. “It was thrilling, having grown up in the Midwest and then moving to Manhattan. We would go to Broadway plays and take in all the culture that the big city had to offer.”

Karen’s downtime from work was not really downtime, with the time spent immersing herself in the activities of the city that never sleeps. Being at her home base in NYC may have created a buzz for Karen, but the sights she would see as a part of her job in the airline industry had their share of perks as well. Karen reflected on what made her job so special. “While based in New York, I worked on flights to Europe, Africa, and South America. We had a daily flight that actually went around the world. The airplane continued to its destination, while the crew would layover. A new crew would take over and fly to the next destination in the airplane’s journey. While working this particular flight, we were away for up to twelve days at a time, with as many days off after returning to NYC. We would lay over in certain cities and stay at the same hotels each time there while waiting to return. We would get to know the people working at these hotels because we were there so often.” 

 During her time working out of NYC, Karen spent seven years working on flights to Africa. “My favorite flights were the ones to Africa,” Karen shared. “Our main layover was on the west coast in Monrovia, Liberia. Next to the airport was the Firestone Rubber Plantation, the second-largest rubber plantation in the world. Depending on the day of the week, from Liberia, we would work a flight out of Kenya and Tanzania on the east coast or down to Johannesburg, South Africa, stopping at different countries along the way. These trips were twelve days long.”

  Karen talked about some of her adventures during the time she spent in Africa between flights. “I can vividly remember a precarious situation that occurred before we boarded a plane in Liberia to Doula, Cameroon, on the west coast. Right before we boarded, we were informed that Africa was on Red Alert. Pan Am headquarters in New York had received a call from a terrorist group saying they were going to blow up one of three Pan AM planes in Africa that day. The flight was delayed, the plane was emptied, and an extensive search was completed. Fortunately, there were no bombs found on any of the three flights.” 

Karen explained that at this time in the 1970s, many planes were being hijacked. She shared a specific hijacking incident one of her co-workers experienced. “One of my friends was working a flight when her plane was hijacked. The hijackers made her hold a grenade the entire flight. The plane eventually landed, and the hijackers were taken into custody.”

Some flights would take Karen away from home for a few days at a time, with other flights requiring a longer amount of time away. She explained how this worked. “We would bid on lines of trips each month, and would fly with the same crew for the month. For most of the African trips, we would be out of town for up to twelve days. I was away from home a lot. I never took my job for granted. I got paid to see the world.” 

Karen would eventually pack her bags and move to the West Coast. “I met my first husband, Woody, while we both worked for Pan Am in New York,” Karen recalled. “When Woody was offered a job in Public Relations for Lockheed Aircraft Corporation in San Francisco, I transferred to Pan Am’s San Francisco base. After living in San Francisco for a year, Woody was asked to head up Public Relations for Lockheed in Los Angeles. We moved to LA, and I transferred to Pan Am’s LA Base.” Woody and Karen enjoyed their time in LA. “We loved LA,” Karen said, spending most of our free time sailing to and around Catalina Island.” 

Working out of the West Coast allowed Karen to visit places she had not been to while working out of NYC. “When I was based in LA, I worked flights to Hawaii, Hong Kong, Bangkok, Australia, New Zealand, and many other locations.” 

Karen finished her career back in the Midwest. “After my father had a stroke, I transferred to Pan Am’s Chicago Base, so I could help Mom take care of Dad back home in Battle Creek. ” Karen said. “I would drive to Grand Rapids to fly to Chicago to work my flights, many to the Pacific area.” 

Experiencing locations abroad was something that Karen appreciated about her job as a flight attendant. It wasn’t just seeing different parts of the world that appealed to her while working for Pan Am. “Some of my fondest memories from working in the airline industry come from the people that I was fortunate enough to meet,” Karen said. “I met many famous people while working for the airlines, including Jack Costeau, James Michner, Tom Jones, Harry Belafonte, Zsa Zsa Gabor, and Sylvestore Stallone.”

Karen retired in 1993 but has remained busy since then. Seeing the variety of wildlife in the many regions of the earth was something that Karen enjoyed during her career. After retirement, she found a way to keep connected to animals found around the world. “Binder Park Zoo was advertising for docents in 1996,” Karen explained. “I have always been an animal lover and decided it would be fun to volunteer at the zoo. I helped out in the education department and worked as a receptionist for eleven years.”  Volunteering at Binder Park Zoo helped to fulfill Karen’s life during her retirement. She could still experience the world without leaving her hometown. Although she hasn’t helped out at the zoo for nearly two decades, animals continue to be a big part of her life. She has a dog and a cat. Her favorite pet is Sonny, her horse. Although she doesn’t ride Sonny as much as she would like to, she still cherishes her time with him. 

After retiring, Karen married again. She reflected on her second marriage. “I met my second husband, Harold Chase. He was a retired teacher, having taught Government at Lakeview High School for many years. We started dating and were married in 1998. We were married  fourteen years when Harold passed away in 2012.”

After Harold passed away, Karen decided to search for something to do to fill her time. “I worked part-time at Horrocks from 2016 until 2020,” she recalled. “I quit during the pandemic, and returned a few years later, but had to quit again because of shoulder surgery.”

Having gone through shoulder surgery, Karen didn’t think she would ever go back to work. After a successful recovery, she decided she was ready to work again. The job opening at Wattles Park as a lunch and recess aide was perfect, allowing her a few hours each day to get out of the house while also earning a little extra money. It has allowed her to utilize one of her greatest strengths, that being nurturing children. She spoke about being a part of the Harper Creek family. “I started working in the cafeteria at Wattles Park in January of 2025. I love working there. It’s a perfect part-time job. I truly enjoy working with the kids. I would like to continue working at Wattles Park for as long as I am able.”

Karen has been blessed with a lifetime of experiences from her time growing up in a small Midwest town, while living in NYC and California, and while traveling across the world in her career in the airline industry. This feeling of a life fulfilled has continued into retirement and moving back to Battle Creek while volunteering at Binder Park Zoo, and now with the rewards that children in our schools provide each day. Upon reflection, she offered these words of advice.  “After all my experiences, I would encourage others to live life to your fullest.”