Judy Lyon Holland
Berkeley CA

(submitted in 1995 for our 40th reunion)

Life is sweet and we spend a lot of time laughing to make it even sweeter! After college (we both went to Cal Berkeley), we stayed on in Berkeley for FORTY more years. We raised three sons here and went through five houses, nine dogs, eight cats, three pigs, two geese and a couple of dirty caged birds. The big fire (*) and years of strange politics keep us vitalized. We love the rural social caldron qualities of this town.

Tom is a great painter, husband and father. I move in and out of various performing arts jobs and try to get the last word on all of California’s natural wonders like mountains, birds, ferns, earthquake faults, anemones, redwoods and deserts.

Our boys are all wonderful, happy, smart, funny, handsome and around here a lot. A first grandson was born in May and we better understand déjà vu and immortality. This new baby has two great grandmothers.

We have glorious friends and interesting parties and good books and bountiful gardens and beautiful music and delicious food and great art and love all around us to live by. We can choose to make our days busy and fabulously stimulating or contemplative and serene.

Our Peninsula parents moved away years ago so we rarely get down your way. It’s terrific to hear you calling us back and we’ll see you in September.

Update June 2005

I would add that our 3 sons are all doing what they love, just like their father does. One son and his wife are artists, another son is a PhD in Conservation Genetics with the University of Hawaii and the youngest son is in education administration as Athletic Director at a large private school.

We now have 4 grandchildren, the most recent of whom is the 1st Holland girl in 3 generations. Family, friends, house, garden and getting out on the road to beautiful places are still the most important things in our lives.

*Ed.note: A devastating fire occurred in the hills above the cities of Oakland and Berkeley, California, on October 20, 1991. When it was contained, the fire had destroyed nearly 2,449 homes and 437 apartment units.