Spotlight on Pam

My parents were both from Arkansas. My mother’s family was poor and out of necessity were farmers. My father was in the Air Force and I was born in Oklahoma. As is common with military families, I lived all over the place as a child, including North Dakota, Guam, and California. When I was ten, my father was stationed at Barksdale Air Force Base in Bossier City, Louisiana. It was here that I grew up and went to school. After high school graduation, I attended Louisiana Tech University. My first job was at a local JCPenney store. Subsequently, I attended night school and worked for a local newspaper in Shreveport. After a couple of years, I decided to go to nursing school and I received my degree two years later. I went to work on an orthopedic floor at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport. After a year, I moved on to work in the Intensive Care Unit at a private hospital. Ten years later, I was burned out and decided to make a change. I went back to LSU and worked in their Emergency Room. It was during this time that I met my future husband who was a Resident in General Surgery. Several years later, we married and had three sons. I decided to retire from nursing to raise my family.

In addition to a husband and three boys, I have four rescue animals—two cats (Bandit and Leland) and two dogs (Henry and Bug). When I am not working at the CO-OP, teaching, or making my toothpaste/skin care products, I like to garden and go antique shopping (think flea markets). I enjoy cooking and am constantly trying new recipes that are both healthy and palatable to my family.

In my garden: