Bonnie Shinn Murrow
BONNIE SHINN MURROW
STAN MURROW
1743 N. Hills Dr.
Norristown, PA 19401
610 908-5893
Technical Trainer
In 2006, afer my oldest daughter married and gave birth to my first grandchild, my husband and I moved from our Colorado mountain home back to the East, to the Philadelphia area where both of my daughters live. My second daughter also married and gave me my third grandchild. It is wonderful to be surrounded by my family again. Stan and I settled in, bought a house, and I returned to work as a technical trainer, specializing in law firm personnel. I travel about 60% of my time and spend the other 40% reading, cooking and selling vintage jewelry.
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I left Coral Gables in 1964 to work at the World's Fair in New York City. Fell in love with the Big Apple. Spent the rest of the 60's working in NYC, doing the singles-club scene, becoming a feminist. Wow, the drinking age was 18! Met my husband (first) and married at the age of 25. Back then, that was OLD for marrying!
Had a wonderful married life, living in the suburbs and briefly in Albany, NY. Settled in to raise my two daughters in Teaneck, NJ, the first community to voluntarily integrate. My daughters learned to accept people of all ethnicities as they grew up.
Sometimes it's incredible as I recall growing up in Miami, where African Americans had to move to the back of the bus and where separate water fountains, restrooms and schools prevailed. And that sign, "we reserve the right to refuse service to anyone" was posted in all the restaurants. We've come a long way, haven't we?
As my children grew, I returned to college and earned a BS and MBA in Finance, minoring in computer systems. I taught Computer Programming in my second year earning my graduate degree (as part of a Fellowship requirement) and discovered I was a darn good instructor.
My marriage dissolved after 18 years (we stayed good friends) and I started a career as a Computer Applications Trainer, first as a full-time employee of a training organization and then freelance. I opened my own training facility in downtown Philadelphia. I worked and lived in Philly for 10 years.
Two years ago, I decided I was tired of the city life and moved to Colorado. Met my 2nd husband a year ago and we married in August 2002 (sorry to have missed the reunion). We now live in the peaceful foothills of the Rocky Mountains, running our training company (Ada Blue) from our little cottage, taking walks, watching the wildlife, making occasional runs to the town of Pueblo to get groceries, haircuts, visit friends and run errands.
I think of Coral Gables High School often, now. I miss Florida, sometimes, and wonder how all my old classmates have fared in life. We grew up in a time that was to change so drastically. I honor those changes and do not wax nostalgic for the 50's, a time when women had few opportunities and African Americans were so mistreated. I prefer the chaos of the late 60's and even today's perplexing times. My daughters enjoy the independence that comes with equality of opportunity for women and it brings me great joy to see such an expansion of acceptance in this culture. Even with its stress and heightened dangers, I'll take today over "the good old days" and I joyfully look forward to whatever else the universe has waiting for me, my children and all my old friends and classmates from Coral Gables.
To quote Desiderata, "With all its sham, drudgery and broken dreams, it is still a beautiful world."