|
Allison Tabor
Allison was born in Princeton, KY. As a child she lived in several small Kentucky towns as well as in Memphis, TN, and Fairfield, IL.
She attended executive secretarial school in Dallas, TX, and is now working online on her BS in Accounting through the University of Phoenix.
Currently she is employed as a financial analyst for HCA - Corporate in the Financial Reporting Department. In previous years, Allison was employed by a children's home in Denton, Texas, and by the Salvation Army in Knoxville, TN. Her first job in Nashville was with Allied Clinical Laboratories.
Her interests and hobbies include spending time with her boyfriend, David; brushing, playing with, and curling up with Faith and Hope (her two girls/some people prefer to call them cats); going out to eat; attending wine tastings; traveling; movies; laying out in the sun; getting together with friends; emailing out of town/state friends; sending cards to family and friends that do not have email; reading through Gayle's messages and handouts; and going to listen to music (local and popular artists).
She started coming to Spiritual Journey for Women class because Gayle literally pulled her from the class in the parlor into our class! "Of course," Allison says, "she did it so lovingly and gracefully that I was immediately intrigued. Gayle's grace, charm, and character showed through the instant we met, and I was simply captivated, actually so captivated, I did not visit another church after that Sunday. I knew this was where I was supposed to be. The previous Sunday, Becky Kantz and I sat together in morning worship. She also invited me to the Spiritual Journey Class so I already had a very warm, inviting feeling about the class."
"Now I come because I admire the women in this class," Allison continues. "I have discovered that the wisdom, compassion, and humor in this class are contagious! Gayle has been and continues to be a motivational inspiration to me. Her accurate, up-to-date realizations are life-changing. My awareness level has increased significantly since I first began this class the fall of 1997. I
am eternally grateful for the experiences and guidance this class shares. I simply look forward to seeing everyone on Sundays (even though I've been traveling every weekend for a month now). I consider it an honor and privilege to have this opportunity to get to know and be friends with so many incredible women!
|
| |
Christi Turner
Wouldn't it be wonderful to be able to share your innermost personal journey of faith and spiritual discovery with your Mom? Meet a young mother who is doing just that. "I visited the Spiritual Journey Class for Women in January of 2005 because my mom, class member Diane Whalley, thought I might like it. She was right! I keep attending because I love the fellowship of all the women in the class and I feel I am learning about Christ in a more accessible way than I've previously experienced", says Christi Turner.
"Currently, I am a stay at home mom and help out with various projects and field trips at my children's schools," says Christi. She and her husband, Jay, have two beautiful children: Katherine, almost 8, a second-grader at Ensworth, and Stephen, 5, a pre-schooler at St. George's.
"In addition," she continues, "I serve on the board of Nashville Ballet, a great organization and a treasure for Nashville. In previous years, I volunteered at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital, Centerstone and Oasis Center. I also worked in child development and Child Life at Vanderbilt."
Born in Jackson, Tennessee, and raised in both Jackson and Baton Rouge, Christi attended Vanderbilt University and graduated with a degree in Psychology in 1991. "Next year I plan to attend my 15 year class reunion!" she says. With the exception of two years in Santa Fe where she worked in restaurants and a bed and breakfast, Christi has lived in Nashville since graduation.
"I am curious and like to learn," she says. "I enjoy reading (good books, "beach books", Vanity Fair, and the occasional celebrity trash magazine), watercolor painting, walking or hiking in the park with friends, tennis, biking and hot tea on cold days. I love to spend time with my family and, as exhausting as my children can be, I'm learning to appreciate their spontaneous joy and humor."
"I have gone through many changes in the past year. This year has been quite challenging for me, indeed the most difficult so far, but I've grown a lot in the process. I'm glad I am a part of this fantastic group of women!"
Proof again of Gayle's wisdom: God leads us on the journey and provides us companions along the way…
|
| |
Janie Lipps
Janie Lipps was born in Harrisonburg, Virginia. She grew up in Luray, Virginia in the Shenendoah Valley. Janie attended the Medical College of Virginia where she earned both her BSN and MSN – nurse practitioner degrees.
Her husband, Kevin Hagan, is a plastic surgeon at Vanderbilt University. Their seventeen year old son, Scott is currently a senior at MBA , and their twenty year old daughter, Elise is a junior at University of Colorado where she is majoring in engineering.
Janie is employed in the Diabetes Center at Vanderbilt University Medical Center where she is a nurse practitioner and researcher and is also involved in fundraising for the American diabetes Association.
A lover of athletics, Janie recently participated in the 160-mile Tour de Cour bicycle marathon.
|
| |
Karen Freeland
She's a person who has so many interests and abilities that it's hard to keep count! Want to learn to quilt? She's your go-to person. Want to learn to cross-stitch? She's the one! Interested in gourmet cooking or investing? She is a participating member in a cooking club and vice president of an investment club. Do you love to read, especially fiction, political and history books? You'll have a lot in common with her. Love gardening? How about volunteering? Been there… still doing that.
See what I mean…?
Born in Nashville, TN, Karen Freeland was raised in Franklin and graduated from both Franklin High School and Vanderbilt University.
Karen has spent most of her professional life in the property and casualty insurance industry. For over 20 years she worked with CNA Insurance and is now an underwriter for Middlesex Mutual Assurance. Prior to her tenure with CNA, she spent 5 years as a social worker with the State of Tennessee.
In addition to her professional service in the insurance industry, Karen has spent quite a lot of her personal time working with college students at Vanderbilt. For 4 years she served as House Mother for the Vanderbilt chapter of the Chi Omega sorority and now serves as President of the Chi Omega House Corporation whose primary function is managing the Chi Omega House.
In addition to all this, Karen raised three children. Now adults, her daughter, Katie, is married to Joel Bostrom, her son John is married to Gina, and her son Jackson is engaged to Anna Elkins. "I love watching my adult children making their ways through life and developing their individual careers," Karen says.
"I started coming to the Spiritual Journey Class for Women because I wanted to meet the women in the class and let them witness their individual spiritual journeys to me," she says. "I now come because I am on my own spiritual journey and because I love my new friends."
Recently she volunteered to coordinate one of our most successful SJCW retreats at Monteagle, a retreat in which we spent a relaxing and fun weekend simply getting to know each other better.
Karen Freeland, your Companion Along the Way…
|
| |
Linda Miller
I was born in St. Louis, MO, and grew up in Nashville. When I graduated from Harpeth Hall, I attended the University of Alabama and Peabody College at Vanderbilt. This year is my 14th year teaching at Harpeth Academy where currently I teach 4th grade.
On March 14, 2003, Joe Miller and I were married. I have 4 children: Katie (25), Tommy (22), Billy (21), and Barbara (14) Pritchett and two stepchildren: Beau (28) and Will (26) Miller.
I started coming to Spiritual Journey for Women class because I was single, looking for a class I would feel comfortable attending. Laura Newton directed me to Gayle's class in 1990 and I've been coming since. Learning from Gayle and the wonderful women in this class keeps me coming. I am so grateful for this class and the people in it. It has had a big impact on my life.
|
| |
Margaret Layman
I want to continue to be part of the SJFW e-mail group. Although I can't be at First Pres on Sunday mornings, you all are in my thoughts and prayers.
I joined the SJFW class in about 1989, give or take, and went to Shakertown on that retreat where I begin to know Gayle and many sojourners better. I have loved each and every one of them and new members ever since. Being a part of Gayle's class and now Anne's has been so meaningful to me.
A little background music; I grew up in Kentucky; my home church was Maxwell Street Presbyterian Church in Lexington. I went to Transylvania University for my BA, singing in the choir, loving sorority life, political science, and history and finally majoring in English literature. I was married to the hometown boy and had two children Joe and Jennifer.
After a few years, I was divorced and went back to the University of Kentucky for a masters degree in library science. I became a high school librarian, began to ride horses and one warm day in June married my across the street neighbor Robert Layman and got five grown and growing children in the bargain. We moved to Nashville and I started the second chapter of my life.
I love Nashville, but after Bob's death my daughter now living in New Orleans and being the mother of my three adorable grandchildren, strongly suggested I move to New Orleans to begin the third chapter of my life.
So here I am after weathering the hurricane, returning to Nashville for the fall semester, renovating two houses, and continuing to smile (even through my teeth at times). I am attending St. Charles Street Presbyterian Church where I continue to look for a Gayle or an Anne and a Sunday school class that I will love. Everyone has been super nice and we are all working together to make New Orleans strong again. I miss you all and love you.
Gayle's lessons continue to inspire me. Her words constantly sound in my inner ear. It has been my privilege to know Gayle, and Anne and each member of the class.
|
| |
Marilyn Dennison
A beloved Spiritual Journeyer is the beautiful and feminine Marilyn Dennison. Marilyn was born in Columbia, Tennessee, the middle child between two brothers, and raised in Mt. Pleasant, Tennessee, where she attended Hay Long Elementary and High Schools. She received her undergraduate degree from Tennessee Tech University in Cookeville, and her graduate degree from Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green.
Marilyn was married at the age of 22 and divorced after 24 years in 1995. Her only daughter Katheryn is a beautiful and talented young woman who will be a senior at Harpeth Hall School in the fall of 2003. Marilyn's older brother David works at First Farmers & Merchants Bank in Columbia, TN and lives in Mt. Pleasant. Her younger brother Johnny lives in Germantown, TN and Santa Rosa Beach, Florida, and works at SlimFast in Covington, TN. Marilyn's 84-year-old father is in assisted living in Columbia.
While currently employed as the Administrative Assistant and Office Manager for Tommy Frist III at Frist Capital, Marilyn has been a high school teacher, and instructor in several junior colleges, a software instructor at Nashville State Community College, a Project Manager for a landscape architect, and a real estate agent.
Marilyn enjoys trying to keep up with Katheryn, reading, being with friends, and going to movies.
It was trials of going through a divorce which brought Marilyn to the Spiritual Journey class. She says, "I wanted to get back to my spiritual roots and to grasp the truth that God loves me." Now though, she says, "I come because I love everyone there and am constantly enriched by the sheer presence of the attendees, not to mention their insight, intellect, and love for others and their God."
Marilyn dresses with elegant style, but doesn't seem to know how magnetic a presence she herself presents. She is soft-spoken and insightful, with a delightful laugh. Always a welcome sight!
|
| |
Robbin Tillman
I was born in Urbana, Illinois, grew up in Atlanta, and attended Vanderbilt University in Nashville.
On October 10, 1981, Mark Tillman and I were married here at First Presbyterian Church. Mark and I have three beautiful children: Colby (18), a rising freshman at the University of Kentucky; Chelsea (11), a rising 6th grader at Oak Hill; and Chloe (10), a rising 5th grader at Oak Hill. Our furry children include Cadbury and Cacky, two shihtsu puppies!
From 1979 to 1985 I was employed at Castner Knott as a Department Manager and Buyer. From 1985-1991 I was the Store Manager for Laura Ashley. Currently, I am blessed to be home with our children! During the past two years I have been extremely involved with all phases of the architectural design, construction and decorating of our new home. We just moved in April 2003. It was a very exciting, educational and smooth process!
My interests include running, fitness, tennis and piano.
I started coming to Spiritual Journey for Women class because it appeared to be very similar to the small, close-knit women's class I had been attending at East Brentwood Presbyterian Church. Now I come because I have been blessed beyond measure to have found such a tremendous and caring group of women. I am uplifted each week and so look forward to our time together. Gayle is truly our angel and her leadership, grace and wisdom are a unique and priceless gift!
|
| |
Sue Fuller
Sue was born and raised in Bristol, TN, mostly on a farm. Her early years were dominated by her love for horses. She was willing to do anything to be around horses, caring for them, riding them, cleaning up after them. She attended Virginia Intermont College on an equestrian scholarship, then transferred to Tennessee Tech. University, and finally finished a doctorate at UT Knoxville. A variety of full and part-time jobs (teacher, counselor, horse trainer) paid college expenses until 1973 when she moved to Nashville to be a professor at UT Nashville.
"Currently, I volunteer with FPC youth, the YMCA, the National Association for Multicultural Education, the Nashville Peace and Justice Center, the BRIDGE Program, etc. AND I'm still doing my full-time job as Professor at TSU," says Sue.
Sue married Tilden Curry in 1986. "I have been soooo blessed to have four children who are the light of my life," she says. "Dayna (31) and Clay (26) are my step children. Dayna continues to do mission work in Morocco where she and her husband are working to establish Christian churches. Thank goodness, she has no plans to return to Afghanistan. Evyn (22) and Daniel (15) have been beneficiaries of the love and support from Gayle's class, since I joined Gayle's class when Evyn was an infant. They thank all of you."
Sue's interests and hobbies include hiking anywhere, but preferably in the mountains, and doing anything with her children. "Someday I'll ride horses again," Sue says, " but there is no time for it now!"
"I started coming to Spiritual Journey for Women class," Sue continues, "because I needed structure and support in deepening my relationship with God. Most of you know the story of how I first found Gayle. As a newly divorced single parent, I was searching for a church home. Being a life-long Baptist, I visited several Baptist churches, none of which felt right. Then one Sunday I stopped at FPC, heard Gayle speak about her vision for the Spiritual Journeys class and I knew I had found my place. I needed to be around others who already had a deep and abiding faith. When God led me to this class, it was like warm hugs and inspiration and peace---it was so clearly the place I was supposed to be. Finding this class and this group of women was a turning point in my life.
Now, I can't come often because I'm committed to teach the tenth graders for three more years, but I will come every chance I get. I really miss the inspiration, the wisdom, and the fun!"
|
| |
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
