Libby Hartsfield Farmer
After PBHS I attended Southeast Missouri State College and graduated cum laude in 1957 with a B.S. in Education. While there I was active in Tri Delt Sorority, Kappa Pi and Kappa Delta Pi (honorary art and education fraternities), synchronized swimming, Terpsichore, Westminster Fellowship, and Assn. for Childhood Education. During summer vacations I earned pocket money teaching swimming, being a camp counselor, and as Waterfront Director for the St. Louis Council Girl Scout Camp.
From 1957-60 I taught second and third grades in the Kansas City area. During those summers I did graduate work at Florida State University in Art Education. That was fun and very enlightening!
Finishing my master�s was preempted by romance and marriage. In 1960 I married Joe Farmer from Charleston, MO. He was a childhood friend of my sister Julie�s husband, Bob French. Joe was in management for a large company and we were transferred quite often. Between 1960 and 1973 we lived in St. Louis; Kansas City; Portland, Oregon; Salt Lake City; Seattle; and San Francisco areas. Our three sons kept us busy along the way: Joe, Jr. arrived in 1962, Chuck in 1963, and John in 1969.
Moving can be tough on a family, but it did provide many broadening experiences for our young boys - boating and swimming in the Columbia River, snow skiing in Utah (especially fun in those days before crowds!), fishing and boating on Puget Sound in our cabin cruiser, a little golf, panning for gold, and lots of variety in museums and sight-seeing.
A move to the Los Angeles area in 1973 allowed us to stay put for seventeen years, thankfully, where the boys could progress through school and later attend Cal State U., Northridge. We lived in �The Valley� northwest of L.A., which is part of the huge L.A. school system. The insanity of busing began in 1978, and I taught school for a year in a private school so that we could enroll our youngest son there.
I began a career in real estate in 1979 as a sales associate, and became a broker in 1987. I can�t boast any celebrity clients, although I did show a house once to Shelley Fabares. She was as charming and pretty as she is on the small screen.
We retired in 1990 and moved �up the hill� to Spring Valley Lake in the high desert, about 100 miles northeast of Los Angeles. Our association includes a 200-acre lake for fishing, swimming, boating and jet skiing, and a golf course. My house is on the water, with a boat dock, so I�m pretty popular in the summer time! I was widowed in 1992.
Adjacent to SVL is Apple Valley, home of Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, who were really fine folks. We went to the same church; Dale was always the first one to start clapping after the choir�s anthem. Roy used to love greeting people personally at their museum - very down to earth.
I have three sons and five fine grandsons. Chuck is in finance, happily married, and they have three lively sons aged 9 to 3, living on a horse property in Simi Valley near L.A. Lucky Mimi gets to see them regularly. John, also married, is in the Air Force, stationed in Tucson, and has been deployed twice to Afghanistan and Iraq vicinities. Their two sons are 2 1/2 and brand new, born August 1, 2003, and I was there to help out! Joe, Jr., is currently living at home.
I�m an active member of the Presbyterian Church, currently serving as an elder. I�ve participated in a number of organizations such as D.A.R., P.E.O., Assn of University Women (and portray Amelia Earhart, �Women in History� program), and have been on various boards.
Playing the flute is one of my favorite things; I play in the Symphonic Band and in the Flute Choir at the local community college, and in the Sinfonia Orchestra with the local Master Chorale, and solos occasionally at weddings, funerals, church, etc. I�ve neglected oil painting but do a little china painting, and won a blue ribbon for a needlepoint at the county fair.
Business-wise, property management keeps me a bit busy. I manage several rental houses here in the high desert which the boys and I own.
More noteworthy is a house that Julie and my brother and I inherited in Jackson, Missouri. It was built by our great, great grandfather in 1818, and a large addition built in 1840 by our great grandfather. The house is now on the National Register of Historic Places. Growing up, we used to spend our summers there. My mother wrote a very descriptive story about the house, which I am trying to finish putting in printed form so each of us and the grandchildren can have a copy.
I�ve visited West Palm Beach only once, briefly, in the last 27 years, so I can hardly imagine what the �town� looks like now! See you soon!
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