Childhood
My life began in Denver, Colorado where I became the second of five children born to Edward and Joan Galda. Just before my fourth birthday, my family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. I grew up on the west side of town, in an area known as Maryvale.
Life at the Galda house in Maryvale was simple but rich in the things that counted most - love, attention, literacy, art, conversation, and, with seven members in the household, company! My childhood was uncomplicated. I was a little "tomboy" who was my father's shadow as he worked in the yard, tinkered with the cars, and spent time creating art and enjoying his family.
My childhood interests were consumed with sports, being outside, and dreaming of growing up to be a forest ranger. I liked to read, thanks to my mother's consistent efforts in supporting her children's love of the written word. I especially loved reading mysteries, adventures set on tropical islands and on the high seas, and the whimsical fantasies concocted by Roald Dahl. I was a mediocre student, quite content to let my siblings and peers outshine me in the world of academics. My favorite part of school was recess, which I spent mostly with the boys playing kickball, soccer, or tetherball. My best friend, Marla Rector, introduced me to the mellow pop music that I love to this day. We spent hours listening to the beautiful music produced by Karen and Richard Carpenter!
I attended Trevor G. Browne High School my freshman year, but my less than stellar academic performance resulted in my parents placing me in a more traditional setting at Maryvale High School. At Maryvale, I finally allowed myself to begin to enjoy the challenge of learning. I had magnificent teachers - Mr. John Gentilli, Sra. Sagarino, Sr. Emmons, and Mrs. Doreen Thoreen stand out among the best. I found myself embraced by wonderful friends; Bill Frank, Connie Goss, Cathy Cornelius, Dick Harkins, Sterling Reece, Joyce Szymanski, and Linda Saldana kept me engaged and interested in school, working hard as a student leader in student government, and motivated to be a better student than I had ever been before.
My life began in Denver, Colorado where I became the second of five children born to Edward and Joan Galda. Just before my fourth birthday, my family relocated to Phoenix, Arizona. I grew up on the west side of town, in an area known as Maryvale.
Life at the Galda house in Maryvale was simple but rich in the things that counted most - love, attention, literacy, art, conversation, and, with seven members in the household, company! My childhood was uncomplicated. I was a little "tomboy" who was my father's shadow as he worked in the yard, tinkered with the cars, and spent time creating art and enjoying his family.
My childhood interests were consumed with sports, being outside, and dreaming of growing up to be a forest ranger. I liked to read, thanks to my mother's consistent efforts in supporting her children's love of the written word. I especially loved reading mysteries, adventures set on tropical islands and on the high seas, and the whimsical fantasies concocted by Roald Dahl. I was a mediocre student, quite content to let my siblings and peers outshine me in the world of academics. My favorite part of school was recess, which I spent mostly with the boys playing kickball, soccer, or tetherball. My best friend, Marla Rector, introduced me to the mellow pop music that I love to this day. We spent hours listening to the beautiful music produced by Karen and Richard Carpenter!
I attended Trevor G. Browne High School my freshman year, but my less than stellar academic performance resulted in my parents placing me in a more traditional setting at Maryvale High School. At Maryvale, I finally allowed myself to begin to enjoy the challenge of learning. I had magnificent teachers - Mr. John Gentilli, Sra. Sagarino, Sr. Emmons, and Mrs. Doreen Thoreen stand out among the best. I found myself embraced by wonderful friends; Bill Frank, Connie Goss, Cathy Cornelius, Dick Harkins, Sterling Reece, Joyce Szymanski, and Linda Saldana kept me engaged and interested in school, working hard as a student leader in student government, and motivated to be a better student than I had ever been before.
Transitioning into Adulthood
I graduated from Maryvale High in 1977 and continued to live at home while attending Glendale Community College studying all things pre-forestry and geology in anticipation of transferring to the University to pursue my lifelong dream of being a forest ranger. My time at Glendale College was enjoyable, and I excelled in my classes while continuing to be active in student government, working as the Social Commissioner for the campus and serving on the Executive Board. When I was 19 and in my second year at Glendale, I lucked into a summer job that would forever change the course of my life.
At 19, I was hired at the Cattail Cove Unit of Lake Havasu State Park as a State Service (Ranger) Intern. I was the first woman to ever work on the ranger crew at the unit, and I spent my early days on the park laboriously trying to prove to the men that I truly merited the position. With the support and respect of Mike Sullivan, Dick McKinney, Mike Edgington, Dan Crangle, Larry Busby, John Boeck, and the many rangers with whom I worked over the course of my employment with Arizona State Parks, I grew to be a respectable ranger.
I continued my studies at Northern Arizona University in Natural Resources Management and Public Administration under my mentor and dear professor, Dr. Eldon Bowman, whose wisdom and guidance taught me so very much and prepared me for a lifetime of public service and stewardship.
Once I graduated from NAU, I continued to work with Arizona State Parks at Catalina State Park, Buckskin Mountain State Park, and back at Lake Havasu State Park which remains, to this day, my favorite state park!
I graduated from Maryvale High in 1977 and continued to live at home while attending Glendale Community College studying all things pre-forestry and geology in anticipation of transferring to the University to pursue my lifelong dream of being a forest ranger. My time at Glendale College was enjoyable, and I excelled in my classes while continuing to be active in student government, working as the Social Commissioner for the campus and serving on the Executive Board. When I was 19 and in my second year at Glendale, I lucked into a summer job that would forever change the course of my life.
At 19, I was hired at the Cattail Cove Unit of Lake Havasu State Park as a State Service (Ranger) Intern. I was the first woman to ever work on the ranger crew at the unit, and I spent my early days on the park laboriously trying to prove to the men that I truly merited the position. With the support and respect of Mike Sullivan, Dick McKinney, Mike Edgington, Dan Crangle, Larry Busby, John Boeck, and the many rangers with whom I worked over the course of my employment with Arizona State Parks, I grew to be a respectable ranger.
I continued my studies at Northern Arizona University in Natural Resources Management and Public Administration under my mentor and dear professor, Dr. Eldon Bowman, whose wisdom and guidance taught me so very much and prepared me for a lifetime of public service and stewardship.
Once I graduated from NAU, I continued to work with Arizona State Parks at Catalina State Park, Buckskin Mountain State Park, and back at Lake Havasu State Park which remains, to this day, my favorite state park!
Life as an Adult
Career Change, Motherhood, and Adventure
After marrying in 1982, I settled down (a bit), but it wasn’t until 1989 that I gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, Nick. When Nick was 18 months old, my husband and I parted ways. Nick and I moved to Flagstaff, where I taught elementary school from 1990-97.
I enjoyed life in Flagstaff, in spite of having to maintain a balance between work, school, and being a mom. In addition to teaching at a Flagstaff school on the Navajo Nation, and later at South Beaver School across the street from NAU, I completed three Master of Education degrees, one in Curriculum and Instruction, another in Bilingual/Multicultural Education, and the third in Special Education.
In 1995, I was selected to be Arizona's International Teaching Fellow, and Nick and I began an adventure that changed both our lives. For a full year, I taught in a two-room school house in the Yarra Valley near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. My class, which consisted of 12 children ranging in age from 4 ½ to 7 years old, also included one youngster from the U.S. – you guessed it… Nick! I don’t think Nick was particularly fond of having to be in his “mum’s” class, but he sure did enjoy being one of the five boys in the “prep” class.
Nick and I spent an amazing year, "down under," and traveled extensively during that time. I still look back at that very special year as the single most amazing personal (and professional) development opportunity of my life. Nick and I both recall 1995 as the best year we ever had!
After returning to Flagstaff in January of 1996, I taught one more year at South Beaver School. The following year, I was awarded an academic appointment at Pima Community College and we ended up moving to Tucson.
While living in and traveling around Australia, I became painfully aware of how little I had traveled in our own country. Upon our return to the States, I began a family tradition of taking a five-week road trip (primarily on back roads!) with Nick and my mom, Joan, each summer. It was one of the best decisions I ever made! Not only did we see so much of the country and have so many amazing experiences, the three of us also grew to be extremely close. Most of those trips took us to visit Nick’s great-grandmother, Madeline (Grammy), in Concordia, Kansas. We would then travel on to Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna Valley, where my mom grew up. Because of these trips, Nick and I found a new family that embraced us and loved us as one of their own… the McHale family and their awesome relatives. Jerry (Ducey) McHale was my mom's first cousin, and he and my mom were very close. Ducey and his awesome wife, Mary (Nolan) influenced Nick tremendously. Ducey became the grandfather that Nick never had, and their bond was rock-solid. Words cannot express how much both Nick and I miss these two amazing people now that they have passed.
A Proud Mom
Nick grew quickly, and relished sports and hanging out with his friends. He loved skateboarding, but eventually graduated on to surfing, returning to those Australian roots he developed watching surfers on Bells Beach, Phillip Island, and the 90-mile Beach.
Like his mom, Nick developed “itchy feet” at a young age and still loves to travel. We spent his first birthday cruising the Hawaiian Islands, and found ourselves cruising the Mexican Riviera and visiting Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlan shortly after his 3rd birthday. After completing our year in Australia, we spent the holidays on the Fijian Island of Viti Lavu. Nick and I loved it! Running barefoot along the sand chasing hermit crabs, horseback riding into the Fijian rainforest, playing in the surf, collecting shells… it didn’t matter. We had a ball. Nick was, without a doubt, a dinky-di surfy dude at the tender age of 6!
Visiting an uncharacteristically “cool” travel destination, Nick and I discovered Alaska’s rugged beauty while cruising the inside passage with my mother a few years later. We relished watching whales breach, sea lions play, and eagles soaring majestically over lofty treetops. Amazingly, as Tucson felt the inescapably oppressive desert heat that Labor Day weekend, Nick and I perched above the bow of the cruise ship wrapped in wool blankets catching snowflakes on our tongues!
When my son was twelve, he accompanied his grandma Joanie and me to my mom’s homeland, the beautiful Emerald Island she had longed to one day visit. Nick was in his glory. He was “the lad” to all he met, and he met plenty of folks! From bartenders who taught him to draw the perfect pint of Guiness to charming musicians who sang in lilting voices, Nick got a first-hand look at a bit of his own heritage!
During high school, Nick was fortunate to return to Europe three more times, visiting much of western Europe and even Morocco! Sadly (for me!), he took these trips without me. He was, by this time, a seasoned traveler who was appreciated by Ms. Hall and Ms. Shafer, the two Tucson High Teachers who braved European travel with the eager teenage members of their Euro-trippin’ Club. Nick’s love of European history and European art/architecture was greatly enhanced by these very special trips. I would go so far as to say that these travels shaped the man Nick was to become more than any other educational experiences he ever had.
Nick and I were also very fortunate to spend two incredible weeks cruising around the British Virgin Islands on a private chartered catamaran during Nick's junior year of high school. After a brief visit to Puerto Rico, we landed on Tortola and began one of the most luxurious and magical vacations ever, courtesy of Gil and Danna Gray, our gracious hosts. To this day, I am grateful to have had such a wonderful adventure. It was one of the most beautiful vacations I have ever had!
Unfortunately, all good things seem to come to an end, and before I knew it, Nick was finishing up his high school years. Nick graduated from Tucson High in 2007. He soon moved to LA to pursue two of his greatest passions – surfing and the commitment to global sustainability adhered to by the Patagonia company of Ventura, CA. Since that time, Nick has pretty much spent his years divided between the west and east coasts of the U.S. For nearly 9 years, he spent his winters in New York City, where he worked for Patagonia, and his summers running the Bel Air Bay Club’s summer youth beach camp in Santa Monica, CA.
Nick loves working with children and believes that kids will play a significant role in his life. He spent the 2015-16 school year teaching PE at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School in Malibu, and learned a great deal from the experience. Nick is a natural-born teacher, and the students loved him! At the end of the school year, Nick returned to the Bel Air Bay Club for one more summer as the Camp Director. Working at the Club was a wonderful experience for Nick, and as he gained experience working with the children at the Beach Camp, he matured into a responsible, hard- working person who is known for his outstanding communication skills and dedication! I am proud to be his mom!
Until 2015, I remained close to my mother, who passed away just two days shy of her 90th birthday. To the end, I loved visiting with her and reminiscing about the wonderful adventures we were so lucky to share. She was proud of Nick and of me, and of course, that will always mean a great deal to both of us!
Nick is currently working for his "dream" company, Patagonia, at the Ventura Campus. He loves working at corporate headquarters and aspires to build his life in Ventura, which would allow him to continue working in support of his passions - sustainable practices, supporting environmental causes, and preparing young people to become ethical, community-minded leaders who make informed decisions that benefit the health of our planet, its biodiversity, and its future generations.
I now maintain a home in Sun City, Arizona, a retirement community on the west side of metropolitan Phoenix, where you can find me during the summer. During the school year, I live in Tucson and commute out to the Tohono O'odham Nation, where I am on the faculty of Tohono O'odham Community College teaching Elementary Education.
Career Change, Motherhood, and Adventure
After marrying in 1982, I settled down (a bit), but it wasn’t until 1989 that I gave birth to a bouncing baby boy, Nick. When Nick was 18 months old, my husband and I parted ways. Nick and I moved to Flagstaff, where I taught elementary school from 1990-97.
I enjoyed life in Flagstaff, in spite of having to maintain a balance between work, school, and being a mom. In addition to teaching at a Flagstaff school on the Navajo Nation, and later at South Beaver School across the street from NAU, I completed three Master of Education degrees, one in Curriculum and Instruction, another in Bilingual/Multicultural Education, and the third in Special Education.
In 1995, I was selected to be Arizona's International Teaching Fellow, and Nick and I began an adventure that changed both our lives. For a full year, I taught in a two-room school house in the Yarra Valley near Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. My class, which consisted of 12 children ranging in age from 4 ½ to 7 years old, also included one youngster from the U.S. – you guessed it… Nick! I don’t think Nick was particularly fond of having to be in his “mum’s” class, but he sure did enjoy being one of the five boys in the “prep” class.
Nick and I spent an amazing year, "down under," and traveled extensively during that time. I still look back at that very special year as the single most amazing personal (and professional) development opportunity of my life. Nick and I both recall 1995 as the best year we ever had!
After returning to Flagstaff in January of 1996, I taught one more year at South Beaver School. The following year, I was awarded an academic appointment at Pima Community College and we ended up moving to Tucson.
While living in and traveling around Australia, I became painfully aware of how little I had traveled in our own country. Upon our return to the States, I began a family tradition of taking a five-week road trip (primarily on back roads!) with Nick and my mom, Joan, each summer. It was one of the best decisions I ever made! Not only did we see so much of the country and have so many amazing experiences, the three of us also grew to be extremely close. Most of those trips took us to visit Nick’s great-grandmother, Madeline (Grammy), in Concordia, Kansas. We would then travel on to Pennsylvania’s Lackawanna Valley, where my mom grew up. Because of these trips, Nick and I found a new family that embraced us and loved us as one of their own… the McHale family and their awesome relatives. Jerry (Ducey) McHale was my mom's first cousin, and he and my mom were very close. Ducey and his awesome wife, Mary (Nolan) influenced Nick tremendously. Ducey became the grandfather that Nick never had, and their bond was rock-solid. Words cannot express how much both Nick and I miss these two amazing people now that they have passed.
A Proud Mom
Nick grew quickly, and relished sports and hanging out with his friends. He loved skateboarding, but eventually graduated on to surfing, returning to those Australian roots he developed watching surfers on Bells Beach, Phillip Island, and the 90-mile Beach.
Like his mom, Nick developed “itchy feet” at a young age and still loves to travel. We spent his first birthday cruising the Hawaiian Islands, and found ourselves cruising the Mexican Riviera and visiting Puerto Vallarta, Cabo San Lucas, and Mazatlan shortly after his 3rd birthday. After completing our year in Australia, we spent the holidays on the Fijian Island of Viti Lavu. Nick and I loved it! Running barefoot along the sand chasing hermit crabs, horseback riding into the Fijian rainforest, playing in the surf, collecting shells… it didn’t matter. We had a ball. Nick was, without a doubt, a dinky-di surfy dude at the tender age of 6!
Visiting an uncharacteristically “cool” travel destination, Nick and I discovered Alaska’s rugged beauty while cruising the inside passage with my mother a few years later. We relished watching whales breach, sea lions play, and eagles soaring majestically over lofty treetops. Amazingly, as Tucson felt the inescapably oppressive desert heat that Labor Day weekend, Nick and I perched above the bow of the cruise ship wrapped in wool blankets catching snowflakes on our tongues!
When my son was twelve, he accompanied his grandma Joanie and me to my mom’s homeland, the beautiful Emerald Island she had longed to one day visit. Nick was in his glory. He was “the lad” to all he met, and he met plenty of folks! From bartenders who taught him to draw the perfect pint of Guiness to charming musicians who sang in lilting voices, Nick got a first-hand look at a bit of his own heritage!
During high school, Nick was fortunate to return to Europe three more times, visiting much of western Europe and even Morocco! Sadly (for me!), he took these trips without me. He was, by this time, a seasoned traveler who was appreciated by Ms. Hall and Ms. Shafer, the two Tucson High Teachers who braved European travel with the eager teenage members of their Euro-trippin’ Club. Nick’s love of European history and European art/architecture was greatly enhanced by these very special trips. I would go so far as to say that these travels shaped the man Nick was to become more than any other educational experiences he ever had.
Nick and I were also very fortunate to spend two incredible weeks cruising around the British Virgin Islands on a private chartered catamaran during Nick's junior year of high school. After a brief visit to Puerto Rico, we landed on Tortola and began one of the most luxurious and magical vacations ever, courtesy of Gil and Danna Gray, our gracious hosts. To this day, I am grateful to have had such a wonderful adventure. It was one of the most beautiful vacations I have ever had!
Unfortunately, all good things seem to come to an end, and before I knew it, Nick was finishing up his high school years. Nick graduated from Tucson High in 2007. He soon moved to LA to pursue two of his greatest passions – surfing and the commitment to global sustainability adhered to by the Patagonia company of Ventura, CA. Since that time, Nick has pretty much spent his years divided between the west and east coasts of the U.S. For nearly 9 years, he spent his winters in New York City, where he worked for Patagonia, and his summers running the Bel Air Bay Club’s summer youth beach camp in Santa Monica, CA.
Nick loves working with children and believes that kids will play a significant role in his life. He spent the 2015-16 school year teaching PE at Juan Cabrillo Elementary School in Malibu, and learned a great deal from the experience. Nick is a natural-born teacher, and the students loved him! At the end of the school year, Nick returned to the Bel Air Bay Club for one more summer as the Camp Director. Working at the Club was a wonderful experience for Nick, and as he gained experience working with the children at the Beach Camp, he matured into a responsible, hard- working person who is known for his outstanding communication skills and dedication! I am proud to be his mom!
Until 2015, I remained close to my mother, who passed away just two days shy of her 90th birthday. To the end, I loved visiting with her and reminiscing about the wonderful adventures we were so lucky to share. She was proud of Nick and of me, and of course, that will always mean a great deal to both of us!
Nick is currently working for his "dream" company, Patagonia, at the Ventura Campus. He loves working at corporate headquarters and aspires to build his life in Ventura, which would allow him to continue working in support of his passions - sustainable practices, supporting environmental causes, and preparing young people to become ethical, community-minded leaders who make informed decisions that benefit the health of our planet, its biodiversity, and its future generations.
I now maintain a home in Sun City, Arizona, a retirement community on the west side of metropolitan Phoenix, where you can find me during the summer. During the school year, I live in Tucson and commute out to the Tohono O'odham Nation, where I am on the faculty of Tohono O'odham Community College teaching Elementary Education.