Joanne Magalis

When I was in high school I thought I would become a medical doctor. I soon realized that this was not a good idea since I tended to get dizzy at the sight of blood! I attended UC Berkeley and found that there were many wonderful things to learn. For a while, I thought I might major in German, but eventually I discovered anthropology. That became my major interest and eventually my life work.

After my junior year at Berkeley, I got married and we moved to Illinois since he had been hired to teach at the University of Illinois. Eventually, I was hired to teach at Eastern Illinois University. Illinois is very flat. I missed the ocean and the hills and mountains. After I retired, I moved to New Mexico where I live today. There is no ocean, but there are plenty of mountains and hills and many kinds of interesting people.

I got married after my junior year in college. This marriage lasted a little over four years. It was not a good experience, so I have never married again. I have no children. I lived for twenty five years with a good friend and we called ourselves a family. She moved to New Mexico with me, but she died about a year ago.

She had a collection of turtles and tortoises which I inherited from her so I have developed an interest in these animals. I am still very interested in anthropology and I am doing some volunteer lab work with the Albuquerque Archaeological Society. I am also volunteering at the Rio Grande Nature center. I am interested in gardening, though I have had little success in New Mexico. Illinois gardening is much easier. I have also developed an intense interest in geology and astronomy.

I like to watch basketball and football. When I was in Illinois, I got into swimming and became fairly good at it. I would like to get back into swimming, but I have had trouble finding a good place to swim. I work out at a fitness center a couple of hours a week. I have had a number of cats over the years. We have also had dogs, including bulldogs and a soft coated wheaten terrier. Currently I have a bearded collie named Chloe and a cat named Lucy.

I have traveled quite a bit and I would like to travel again if I can find someone to go with me. I have been to Peru and Brazil on research trips and I have been to Mexico, Honduras and Belize on pleasure trips. I also traveled to a number of countries in Europe.

I studied at Berkeley for three years, but I ended up getting my B.A. in Anthropology at the University of Illinois. I also completed an M.A. in Anthropology at the University of Illinois. My ex-husband got a job at the University of Pennsylvania, so I followed him there. After I left him, I decided to return to the University of Illinois and get my PhD. I finally finished my PhD in 1975.

I have spent my years teaching anthropology. I taught for about 35 years. I enjoyed it for the most part. I really have had only one real job in my life.

I am retired now. I do miss telling people about all the wonderful things I have learned. The first three years of retirement were difficult because my companion was so sick and I spent a lot of time looking after her needs. Also, I was in serious pain for a while, Eventually, I got my hips replaced and now I feel much better. This last year I have spent trying to make new friends and establish my life in New Mexico. It’s been fairly difficult, but I'm gradually adjusting.