If you don’t remember seeing me much during our senior year, it is because I spent half-days that year taking college classes. I finished my BA at the University of Iowa (Education) following it up with an MA (English). In January 1977 I headed to the University of North Carolina (Chapel Hill) to study 18th Century English Literature. Those plans got sidetracked when I met Mark Miller and we decided to get married. After three years living at an Army base in Carlisle, Pennsylvania we moved to New York’s Capital District (the Albany area) where we lived for 35 years.
I spent most of my career at the New York Department of Public Service, regulating utilities. Over the years I had opportunities to work on a wide range of issues including rates, customer service, energy efficiency, and renewable energy. I took advantage of an early retirement offer in 2010. Initially, after retiring I consulted on energy issues about ½ time. As the years have passed, I have cut this back to doing training on behalf of the State Department in developing countries, including Jordan, Rwanda, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Zambia, Colombia, and Angola.
Many of you remember my dad, Ed Barker, our principal. He lived to be 91 and passed away just before COVID hit. The highlight of his career was getting things underway at West High, taking it from a blueprint to a functioning institution. He always spoke fondly about his years working there. My mom and brothers still live in Iowa City and my sister lives in Woodstock, New York.
Mark and I are still married after 45 years together and enjoy the year-round entertainment opportunities of central Florida. We have two children and two grandsons (both are 4 years old). Our son, Eric, lives in New Jersey and does economic analysis for Prudential. Our daughter, Katie, lives on the other coast, in Tacoma, Washington, where she teaches math in a private school. Given how spread out we are it is rare for all of us to be together at the same time, so we are glad that we will have a chance to meet up in California this July.
I am looking forward to seeing many of you at the reunion.
Alice (Barker) Miller
