Our speaker for the day was Karen Chasse who gave her “classification talk” which could have been entitled a “classification dissertation, novel or treatise”. My life couldn’t fill two minutes. The entire talk is set forth below. Karen has truly overcome a lot of challenges to accomplish what she has including having to type her talk on her phone on a treadmill at 5:00 Am next to Jackson. Talk about challenges! Perhaps she will get up in another 10 to 20 years and tell us how her book finally ends (I don’t mean finally ends, well you know what I mean or at least I know what I mean). Nice job Karen.
I will start with my personal life because it is much more entertaining and dramatic.
My life began in turmoil. As you’ve probably heard Trojans and Tigers didn’t mix well in the 70’s. My Dad is a TA graduate: Mom is a BHS graduate. They divorced by the time my Mom was 20 but kudos to Jim and Lynn for their success!
I grew up in New York with my Dad (who was in the Air Force), stepmom, brother and sister. My mom suffered from Lupus, lived in Biddeford, and we only saw her at Christmas and summertime. Throughout my youth, I had some of my own health issues: at four years old, I was hit by a dump truck and had to be in a full body cast for six weeks (that was not fun--for me or my parents), and I’ve had multiple surgeries on a congenital branchial cleft cyst in my neck. Otherwise, I grew up as a classic rule-following, introverted, middle child.
My Dad’s alcohol and drug abuse eventually led to his second divorce and at 16 I left behind my PHS Hornets’ Track and Cheerleading friends to move to Maine to live with my Mom and my Dad went to rehab. Unfortunately, six months later my very good friend died in a drinking and driving accident on New Year’s Eve. As you’ve heard from our fun “Name that Rotarian” game last year, I met my ex-husband, his cousin, at the funeral (a sure sign it was a match made in heaven, right?). And guess what was the cherry on top? He had a one-year-old son born on his 18th birthday. But Casey taught me how to love unconditionally and is by far the best “inheritance” I will ever receive.
After graduation, I went on to UMF but missed my ex-husband so terribly that I moved back to Biddeford after my first year, got an apartment together, got pregnant with my son, Tyler (the best “mistake” I ever made), got married, and managed to complete an Associates from UMA. (Yes, in that order – However, I don’t recommend this life plan).
Two years later I lost a child, another little boy, and fortunately a year later had my daughter, Julia - my only planned child, and during her teenage years I often wondered if I was crazy for that decision. My Mom passed away shortly after that from Lupus complications at age 43. Honestly, this was my hardest hurdle to overcome. She was, by far, the strongest and most positive individual I will ever encounter.
We then built a house in Dayton and I went to back to UMA to get my Bachelor’s Degree which I finally finished at age 42. Both my kids graduated from TA with Julia also attending the CNA program at COT. Following her graduation, I filed for divorce--which you all learned in the TACK thanks to Bill Kany’s creative writing. I guess Tigers and Tigers can get on each other’s nerves after 26 years.
Now, my son, Casey, is 29 and lives in Biddeford with his wife, Elizabeth. He is a foreman for a landscaping company in Kennebunkport. My son, Tyler, lives in Florida and manages the Warehouse for Titan Supply. My daughter, Julia, lives with me (and her boyfriend--who drew up the architecture plans for our rotary house!). She works at MMC and will graduate next year from USM’s Nursing Program.
My professional life is much more boring so hope you can stay awake through this part.
My first real job was Rich’s Department Store at 14 making $4.10 an hour. I hit the jackpot when, at 17, I was hired as a Switchboard Operator at $6.10 an hour thanks to Jobs for Maine’s Graduates. I bought my first junker car and my ex-husband taught me how to drive (so if you don’t like it, you can blame him). I was fortunate enough to work at SMMC, now SMHC, for 25 years moving my way up the ranks from Switchboard & Admitting to the Marketing assistant, coordinator, specialist, manager and ultimately working in Development.
I joined Rotary at 28 when my boss suggested in my annual review that I get involved. Joe stopped by the office one day and I asked him about Rotary. He invited me to a meeting and gladly sponsored me. This is where I learned the true value of giving back. Rotarians immediately involved me and back then we had a lot of family-oriented, hands-on projects so my kids were able to participate. I was on the Board of Directors for 10 years holding every position except Treasurer (which is good for the club since Business Finance was the only class I ever received a “C” grade). I would be remiss if I didn’t thank Rollie Eon for being persistent and asking me three years in a row to be President before I finally conceded. I didn’t realize it was going to be the same year my son graduated and I would be back in college but it truly was my best year in Rotary.
I then met Jeremy Ray through Rotary. He asked me to be on the hiring committee for a Community Outreach & Development position at the School. Long story short, he asked me to have lunch one day when he learned I was job searching. Here’s your warning - Jeremy is the most skilled negotiator I have ever encountered but, also, if you are on a hiring committee and then you need to go through the interview process, it is 10 times harder and includes a laptop, writing a plan of what you would do in three very different scenarios in 10 minutes or less, and then presenting it to a jury of your peers.
So, you are probably thinking mid-life crisis. Extreme stability for 25 years and in a one-year time span I had graduated college, had a new job, got divorced, bought a new car, completely renovated my house and the kids were off to college. But, I was 42; my Mom died at 43. For me, it was a wake-up call that life is too short to not be truly happy.
My current job grew to include oversight of the Biddeford Education Foundation and duties for Dayton School (so technically Denis Elie is also my boss now). My next goal is to start classes this fall for a Master’s Degree in Education Psychology with a Concentration in Applied Behavior Analysis. So it is likely I will start analyzing all of you out of habit--sorry in advance.
Other committees, boards, and recognitions include: Tri-Community Little League Secretary, Saco Junior Trojans Cheerleading Fundraising Chair, Girl Scout Troop 236 Leader, Ocean Communities Federal Credit Union Vice President, Northeast Credit Union Marketing Chair, SMHC Auxiliary Board, CHCC’S Project Alliance Board, United Way Campaign Committee, Rotarian of the Year, Paul Harris Fellow, and the award I am proudest of - the Goodwin Outstanding Service Award.
So, that’s it. I did write this but I am guessing none of you will see it and if some of you see it you won’t read it anyway. There I feel better.
