This month’s Member Spotlight is on
Carol Weaver, our Corresponding Secretary.
I met with Carol at Panera’s to share a cup of coffee and find out more about her. It seems we often miss the opportunity to know the folks around us better.
Carol was born in Columbia, South Carolina. Her family moved to Sumter, S.C. when she was about 6 months
of age and she grew up there. She and her husband Leonard were childhood friends
and that friendship continued to grow over the years and blossom into an even deeper relationship. Carol shared that Leonard used to walk her to her piano lessons.
I asked Carol what brought them to Athens and when. Carol
responded that they moved here in June 2006. They have a son and daughter in
the area, as well as their six grandchildren. Their daughter, Denise is a veterinarian
and married to Troy Pickerell. Denise’s family consists of Jordan (14),
Christian (12), Madison (10), and Ashton (3). Their son, Dwayne, is married to
Amy and they have two sons from Dwayne’s prior marriage; Erik (18) and Brandon
(10). Dwayne is a Finance and Admin. Manager at UGA
over Pay and Classification.
Both Carol and Leonard had long and successful
careers in the telecommunications field. Carol began as a Long Distance operator
for Bell South, working later in drafting, engineering, dispatch, and as a Service Rep.
Her career always followed Leonard’s, who worked his way up from lineman with GTE to the Executive ranks of Verizon,
before retirement. Their careers took
them from Sumter, S.C. to Moultrie,
GA, to Sarasota
and Tampa, FL and back to Sumter. Often, Carol had to be very creative in continuing her career, while moving with Leonard’s
promotions. At one point, Carol maintained a condo
in Orlando where she worked, while commuting from Sarasota and
later Tampa where Leonard worked, allowing Carol to finish
her service with Bellsouth. You have to have a strong marriage to be able
to keep that lifestyle going for two years, prior to Carol’s retirement. The
Weavers have now been happily married for 47 years.
I asked Carol what her interests and hobbies
were. She responded that she enjoyed gardening and was in Garden Club. She also loves to read and to travel. Her favorite locations
so far have been, Alaska and Sorrento,
Italy. She said
that the pristine beauty of Alaska was breathtaking. Carol had knee surgery two years ago and is just beginning to get back into traveling
mode. They have scheduled some trips for this year and look forward to them.
I was also interested in how Carol became
involved in Newcomer’s Club. She stated that she became a member in Sumter, S.C. and continued her membership when she moved to Athens. She is a former
President of the Sumter Chapter and has been a member for about eight and a half years.
When I asked Carol what piece of advice she
would pass on to others, she said, “Live life to the fullest, while you can.”
I really enjoyed my interview with Carol and
hope that all our AANC members enjoy finding out a little more about Carol and her family.
