Jean McNally
I graduated from KU with a B.A. in French, Simmons College in Boston with M.S. in Library Science, one year at the University of Grenoble, France and later courses as needed in accounting, computer programming and metalworking. From '66-'70 I was a Library Intern at Harvard Business School, Research and Catalog Librarian at UC-Boulder and in '69 I married Ed Whelan, an electrical engineer. In '71 we towed 2 boats (22' and 28') from Ft. Lauderdale to Oregon where we shipped them atop a lumber barge to Hilo, HI and towed them to Kona to start our sales and service business, Kona Marine Supply. Ed was manager and I was the factotum. We had 2 sons, Jerry in '71 and Steven in '76.
In '80 I went back to starting and running libraries for the Kona Coffee Council, Kealakehe Intermediate School, the Kona Historical Society and the University of Hawaii at Hilo and Kona campuses. I also published 2 Hawaiian historical bibliographic studies and tutored ESL students. In 1992 I returned to Boulder, CO. From '93-'05 I was a reference
librarian in Engineering and Business Libraries at UC-Boulder. In 1994 I lost Ed to lymphoma. Since retiring, I have traveled including some fun trips with Sara Yaple Varney, read late into the night, played with making jewelry, dealt with arthritis and enjoyed the Colorado climate.

My favorite teachers were: Mrs. Turk who taught me to write a proper paragraph, Miss Fender who taught me Algebra which came in handy in my business, Mr Pattison who helped me overcome butterflies when speaking to a group; and Mr. Putnam who taught Spanish in ways to encourage more language studies and an interest in other cultures (and wrestling!!). I am grateful for the teachers, administrators and parents who took education seriously and were dedicated in offering it. Something I have done that might surprise you: Besides towing a big boat through a high mountain blizzard and being a shopkeeper, how about snowball fighting and skiing in the middle of the Pacific? The most important thing I've learned: Life is change, often unanticipated, and the more embraced the change, the more enjoyable the life.