Member Spotlight:

Lloyda Shears

A Visit with Lloyda Shears
Beth Bracale
Reprinted from Dimensions, 2002

      I have to admit, I was a bit intimidated by the idea of interviewing the “Grande Dame of Shadybrook,” but Lloyda put me at ease right from the beginning.  She invited me into the kitchen, offering me a seat at the table which reminded me so much of my own - one end hosting the latest catalogs and periodicals waiting to be read, recent mail to be sorted, sundry notes and lists -she called it “the elephants’ graveyard.”  Perfect, I thought.   There was also a bowl of her own personal blend of trail mix to munch on while she put together a light snack of cinnamon flavored coffee and rolls.
      We started out looking at some photos, neither one of us quite sure where our conversation was headed.  I learned that Lloyda grew up in upstate New York, and that her father owned a farm.  Her first husband was a career Navy man, and her home during those years was on the west coast.  Lloyda’s own career has been varied and impressive: she was a licensed psychologist and author, an organization and systems development specialist, a career counselor, an educational consultant.  And those are just a few highlights.  (I got the information about her work life from a brochure she gave me created for her consulting business.  Lloyda is not one to brag about her accomplishments, but speaks of them almost off-handedly.)
      So much to talk about, and time was passing quickly.  We decided to narrow our focus.  I asked Lloyda if there was anything in particular she wanted to share with the Dimensions readers.  There was one thing, she said, a little known part of the basis of Shadybrook.  It was the value of variety.  The absolute, essential value of diversity.  “It is extremely dangerous for a social system to be narrower, rather than larger.”
        How so?  She first illustrated the point with a story from her college days.  She had a friend who’s doctoral thesis was on...cockroaches.  She studied how they laid and placed their eggs.  One aspect of it in particular stuck out in Lloyda’s mind; after a certain amount of time, in which quite a bit of cockroachial inbreeding was going on, new insects would have to brought in from an entirely different area to breed with the test specimens, else they would start to get “funny.”  “That’s exactly how she described it,” smiled Lloyda.  “‘Funny’.  And you knew just what she meant.
      Lloyda then cited other examples of how dangerous it is for small groups of people to intermarry only amongst themselves.  We are all well aware of why it’s illegal to marry a sibling, or even a first cousin: because recessive genes are given the opportunity to come to the forefront, leading to such tragic consequences as severe retardation, Tay-Sachs disease, and more.  This is still a threat when a relatively small group, the European royal families, for example, make it a mandate to marry only their “own kind”; other royalty.  Queen Victoria’s family was well known for passing along the gene for Hemophilia.
      Other tight-knit communities have demonstrated similar difficulties, little realizing that the way they have chosen to protect their culture and way of life may actually end up being their downfall.  And if you look at the wealthy “ruling class” of our society in that light - wow, what a perspective!
      Lloyda pointed out that the need for variety doesn’t apply only to breeding, but to the sharing of ideas as well.  This is a concept so pertinent to our current state of the world in general, as well as closer to home in our own communities.  One of the original precepts of Shadybrook was to encourage diversity, the sharing of new ideas, helping people to grow to become their best selves.  Allowing people not only to hear another’s perspective, but to have their own heard as well. These were the things Lloyda most wanted to pass along:  that our survival depends on our ability to listen.  To let others share themselves with us.  To welcome their “otherness”.  To embrace diversity.            

Member Spotlight: Sisters Annette Gydosh and Barb Mallin

Annette Gydosh
By Barb Mallin

      My sister Annette loves candles. Should you visit her home, you will find them in every room on just about every table. Not only does Annette love candles. To me she IS a candle.
      Candles give light in the darkness. So many times when everything looked dark in my life, Annie was there to brighten my way. Everyone in my family has known Annette’s light, including her three other sisters, one brother, two daughters, two sons, eight grandchildren, countless nieces and nephews, her dog Shelby, and even her five grand dogs and two grand cats.
      In addition to being a candle in her family, “Annie” (also known as “Annie Bananny”) is also lighting the way for those she touches in Shadybrook, for patients at Hospice of Western Reserve, and for those she visits in nursing homes. Should someone be struggling with illness or other forms of darkness, her hand is always outstretched to help them find their way. Sometimes she even drives them to the doctor’s office or sits with them at the hospital. As a new member of the Shadybrook Board of Trustees, Annette’s glow will now affect those responsible for keeping the light alive in Shadybrook.
      Candles give warmth. Annette’s whole body radiates warmth. Anyone who has experienced her hugs can attest to this. Many of you have been greeted by her at the door when you come to a Shadybrook event. With her warm smile and friendly ways she can make just about anyone feel at home. As past chair and present member of the Shadybrook Membership Committee, Annette continues to spread her warmth, not just at events but also from her home by making multiple phone calls and sending many cards every month.
      Candles also have healing power. Annette’s warm hands continue to provide Reiki healing to the many people she serves at hospice, in nursing homes, and in her own home. The babies at hospice who cry out at night are often quieted by Annette’s loving touch. Those who are dying and the elderly who are feeling alone are comforted by her healing hands and hugs. Hopefully this healing power will also protect her from being overcome by Prom’s Disease, a form of muscular dystrophy with which she has been coping for many years.
      To me she is a walking miracle because she refuses to give up. No matter how hard the going gets, she still gets going, even if it means taking a special chair with her when none is available. When asked recently if she was strong, she answered, “Physically, I would have a hard time winning a fight with a stuffed animal, but mentally I am growing everyday.” I believe it is her spirituality, her positive mental attitude, and her sense of humor that keep her going and growing. In addition to the support of her family and Shadybrook, Annette is also strengthened by the love she experiences as part of a small Christian Community made up of members of her church (St. Dominic’s in Shaker Heights).
      Candles come in different colors and shapes. Annette also enjoys this variety in her life. With 20+ years as a bookkeeper behind her, she is still able to keep the finances “in shape” at her home in Richmond Heights where she and her husband, Tony, have lived for the past four years. Having moved from Shaker Heights where they raised their children for 26 years, Annette and Tony have finally adjusted to a smaller ranch house with no stairs to climb. Tony continues to use his landscaping talents to keep colors and shapes alive in their front, side and back yards. Being surrounded by her favorite flowers and bushes gives Annie an emotional lift each spring, her favorite season of the year. Even her son David, a professional painter, added color to her life recently by warming the walls of her room with a mauve glow that definitely fits her personality.
      Finally, some candles burn for what seems like an eternity. I feel confident that Annie is one of these candles. Her healing light and warmth will keep burning in the hearts of all those who know and love her, now and for all eternity. Amen.

Barb Mallin
By Annette Gydosh

      My sister, Barb Mallin, known affectionately in our family as Barbie Doll, is the closest in age to me. She is remarkable, and the most loving person I know.
      Barb has a BA in Education from Notre Dame College, including majors in both English and Math. Barb also has two Masters degrees - one in School Counseling from Kent State and one in Social Work from Case University. She also received her certification for teaching multi-handicapped children from Cleveland State University. I used to call her my professional student.
      After spending some time as a nun in a couple different orders, Barb was married and several years later gave birth to a wonderful son, Chris. After a difficult divorce, she settled down to being a working mother. Barb is currently tutoring handicapped children and children of all ages in English and Math.
      Whenever anyone needs a helping hand, be it me or any of her other siblings, (three other sisters and one brother,) or any of her many friends, Barb is always there. I know I could call her any time of the day or night when in need and she would come without ever asking why. My sister also does Reiki with me, and any one else that is in need of it.
      Barb is a very spiritual and ethical person. She is a member of East Shore Unitarian Universalist Church in Kirtland, where she is on the Save the Web for Life and Peace Seekers committees. She is committed to respecting the Earth and promoting peace in what ever way she can, and is now trying to teach me what products to use that do not harm Mother Earth. Barb’s reverence and love for all living things is awesome to me. She actually carefully captures and releases any insect that she does not want in her home.
      I was introduced to Shadybrook by Barb, of which she presently serves on the Board of Trustees, the Executive Committee, and the Membership committee. She also served as Chair of the Program Committee for five years. Through Barb and Shadybrook I have met many wonderful people and cultivated some great friends.
      For relaxation and fun Barb does Yoga, jazzercise, walking, ballroom dancing, attends concerts, reads, and writes poems and prose. She also enjoys playing the guitar, visiting nursing homes and playing for the physically and or mentally challenged. (Gee, I wonder what she does in her spare time?)
      Needless to say, I think Barb is not only a great mother, sister, and friend, but also a beautiful person, both inside and out.

Member Spotlight: D. Lois Ruskin
nee Dorothy Lois Grant

I was born on September 27, 1918, in Chicago, Illinois. After growing up there, I was a student nurse at the Swedish-American Hospital. I was not able to finish, due to various health problems involving myself, my brother and my mother at various times. I tried going back to school at a junior college in Evanston, but again was unable to finish due to my mother’s worsening condition. She died of a brain tumor at age fifty-six. My brother, Robert Lee, died of complications following surgery six months later at age twenty-three, leaving a wife and baby daughter, my niece, Linda Lee.
I got a job at Allstate Insurance Company in the print shop, moving on to a secretarial job in the supply room. During the war years, hospitals needed volunteer nurses' aids, and I worked three nights a week at the hospital where I had interned.
In 1946 I met my husband, Louis Ruskin, at the Biosophical Institute in Chicago. We were married three years later, and devoted most of our spare time to the activities of the Center. I had part-time jobs and Lou became a top salesman for Encyclopedia Britannica. This allowed us to accompany Dr. Kettner, founder of the Biosophical Institute, when he became ill in 1951 and required someone to be with him when he traveled. During the last five years of Dr. Kettner’s life, Lou and I traveled with him and I performed his secretarial work for the various Centers. We were with Dr. Kettner when he passed away on March 28, 1957, in Cleveland, Ohio. Lou and I decided to take up stay in Cleveland afterward.
In 1959 I went to work for the American Insurance Company in Cleveland, starting with a filing job. I was soon promoted to the Bond Department, where I remained until 1970. I then went to work for the Rollins Burdick Hunter Insurance Agency, where I stayed doing Bond work until my retirement in 1980 at age 62.
Since retiring, I have been active in the Biosophical Group, the Unitarian-Universalist Society of Cleveland, and Shadybrook. At present I am the President of the Biosophical Institute and a Board and committee member of Shadybrook.
My husband of fifty-three years died in August 2003 at the age of ninety-six after a six year struggle with Alzheimer’s disease.
My other interests are music, art, good TV, some movies, newscasts on PBS, talk show hosts Charlie Rose and Tavis Smiley, politics, word puzzles and particularly dining out and conversations with friends.

Member Spotlight:

DIETZ ZIECHMANN - A MINI AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH

I have had an incongruous life. My paternal grandfather, a prominent architect in Berlin, came to the USA in the late 19th or early 20th century. He played a hand in the construction of Central Park in New York and designed the Central Viaduct in Cleveland before opening a thriving floral business on Quincy Avenue in downtown Cleveland, a business re-located to what became Shaker Heights just before the Van Swerigen brothers. His sons all became degreed engineers before dropping back into their father’s business. His son Helmut, my paternal grandfather, served as a US Navy engineering officer in the Navy Department in Washington in World War I under then Assistant Secretary of the Navy, Franklin Delano Roosevelt. My father worked through his life in the family floral business, although he nurtured ambitions of becoming a diplomat. In 1937 he participated in the high school student exchange in Berlin, Germany. Immediately after Pearl Harbor, he was sworn in as a US Navy ensign, but declined to serve after being rated substandard on his physical because of a polio-withered leg. His appointment to the U.S. Diplomatic Service during World War II did not get confirmed, the stated reason given that his wife, still a German citizen, was an enemy alien.

My maternal grandmother, Hildegard von Koschembahr, had an American mother and was a third cousin to FDR and an eleventh cousin to Winston Spencer-Churchill. She and her husband came to the United States at the urging and with the support of FDR in 1938. Her husband, a lawyer with the German national railroad with approval authority over route plans, slipped out of Germany in 1934, after his mixed German-Jewish ancestry became a minor issue with Hitler’s new government, although a waiver was offered.

My mother came to the USA in 1940, after a two-year sojourn in Brazil. She believed strongly in cosmopolitan values, especially after attending a boarding school in Switzerland in the interim between leaving Germany and arriving in the USA. Her entrance into the USA, over-quota, was arranged by Congressman James (“Jimmy”) Roosevelt, the President’s son. Mother gave birth to me in 1945, naming me after General of Infantry Dietrich (“Dietz”) von Choltitz, victor of the huge battle of Sevastopol, Russia in World War Two and celebrated sparer of Occupation Paris, one of my three godfathers, then serving as an American prisoner-of-war in a camp in Louisiana! She named me after him for personal acts of kindness shown to her in pre-war Germany and his general conscientiousness and not for any particular political motive. My early childhood fell in the shadow of the Cold War, with disingenuous explanations of governmental policy being widely circulated and promulgated in the media. Two of grandmother’s semi-distant cousins played a prominent role in the Eisenhower Administration, CIA founding director Allen Dulles and his brother Secretary of State John Foster Dulles. Grandmother lived in Rye, New York, at the time and was active in support of the United Nations, headquartered in Manhattan, and involved in Wainwright House, located in Rye. Immediately after her death we traveled to Manhattan to visit the offices of Roosevelt & Sons, private bank, he trustees, in the heart of Wall Street.

A feature of my childhood was watching television. Every year would bring the annual Christmas celebration of a mythical Jewish boy-child expected to grow up into a world Prince of Peace. Always tragically he would end up in a few months in heated dispute with its own religion’s hierarchy and the occupying Roman authority. In school there would be a division between the Jewish children observing and withdrawing into Passover and non-Jewish children observing the very different holiday described as Easter, emblematic of an on-going schism. I always hoped one day to be a source of reconciling these groups. My upbringing led me to believe that I had a special duty to see that government and major commercial institutions served the public justly and with efficiency, expected to be an uphill task in a demagogic era. To that end, my father force fed me mounds of historical information and analysis and lessons on deportment. In grade school, I visited the downtown Cleveland offices of the emerging Laymen’s Retreat Project, Inc. (the future Shadybrook organization) and saw the forming up of the inauguration ceremony of Shadybrook House out in Kirtland Hills, both ironically and synchronistically as a result of floral deliveries by the Ziechmann family business.

A little announcement in the Plain Dealer of a presentation about Neale Donald Walsch’s best selling, seminal book Conversations With God brought me back into contact with Shadybrook after a lapse of about four decades. Virtually unreviewed, I wanted to exchange impressions about the worth of this non-punitive expression of Theism. Laine Canfield’s persistent urging brought me to the opening poetry readings of Shadybrook’s study circles. I participated freely in the analytical discussions and was eventually asked to become assistant coordinator then coordinator of the study circles. About the same time I was invited to serve on the Board, holding the office of Secretary for a time.

Member Spotlight:

Introducing Cheryl Petro By Carla Durnbaugh

Have you ever had an opportunity to get to know a high school friend all over again? Well, I have! And I am delighted that Cheryl Petro feels so welcome in our caring and nurturing environment.

Cheryl has quite a drive to Shadybrook activities at the Shaker Nature Center from her converted barn home in Cherry Valley (near Jefferson). Fortunately, we can carpool from Chardon and that makes the trip more pleasant for both of us. After her first Fall ‘04 Retreat with Phil Cousineau, Cheryl seems to be hooked on returning to see what happens next. In fact, she has agreed to help decide what happens next by joining our Board for the next two years.

Cheryl is a Kirtland High School chum of mine, who went on to Ohio University to earn her BA in Home Economics. She currently works as a Family Intervention Specialist in the Ashtabula County Elementary Schools. Cheryl figures that she not only has the course work but also the personal experience because she raised two grown children, helped to raise a stepson and six grandchildren to give her credibility in her job.

When she isn’t at work or at family activities, (including playing with her two dogs, Matty and Hannah), Cheryl is probably weaving a basket. She especially likes to make baskets from natural materials like white oak and hickory bark. Her weaving includes everything from large baskets to pendants, beadwork and jewelry. Other hobbies include cooking, gardening and quilting. She also volunteers in her community as Mediator of small claims with the Ashtabula County Court and as an Advisory Board Member of Ashtabula County, Ohio State Cooperative Extension.

Cheryl also likes to travel and she has made a couple of distant trips. One was to the Bahamas with her daughter and family, and the other to Germany to help out her son when his new baby was born. Although she liked visiting unfamiliar places, most summers she enjoys camping with her husband Joe in nearby Pennsylvania and Ohio Forests. Cheryl says, “Camping gives Joe and me the opportunity to hike, cook outside and sit around a campfire chatting and looking at the stars”.
After a recent class reunion, I asked Cheryl to join another former classmate and me on a camping trip in Wisconsin. It was on this trip that the topic of spirituality came up and I had the opportunity to tell Cheryl about Shadybrook.

In a recent carpool conversation about Shadybrook’s role in the community, Cheryl reflected, “Shadybrook is like a soul kitchen.” Sure seemed like Cheryl understood Shadybrook’s purpose and mission. Our service to the community is to provide information to recharge one’s soul!

Cheryl says that she is pleased to have found Shadybrook. She shared that “organized religion doesn’t fit me, but I am interested in learning about spirituality.” We are pleased to have Cheryl join in helping to make Shadybrook grow!

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Member Spotlight:

Kristen S. Boyesen

I have so many interests that have come and gone or are still waiting in the wings to be noticed that it is not possible to list them all.  If pushed to mold into a regular job, I would probably be labeled as having A.D.D.  Thom Hartman’s book, “Beyond A.D.D.,” discusses this type of brain as an asset rather than a disorder.  This tendency to want to do everything and to explore everything has helped to make my life experiences rich and varied. 

As a child and early teen I was very shy and scared to speak what I was thinking for fear of being wrong or stumbling over words.  There came a point when that became too restrictive, and I flipped to "outgoing" to cover my shyness.  At age 57, I am still trying to achieve a balance between the two!

I have always liked nature and art.  Family photos show me as a toddler bending over to smell flowers in the garden.  This I still do in parks, stores, and other peoples' yards, as well as my own.  I can become lost in the scent of a flower!  I received my first paint set at age five, and I have been painting ever since.  Taking art lessons in an adult class from Purdue University professor Curtis Stocking was the beginning of my taking art seriously, but not so seriously that I listened to the ever-changing notions of what the critics say about art.  For me, art is a spiritual statement: "Look at this and be awed by nature; Cherish it, protect it, take a walk in it." 

I did not realize that my art was about spirituality until I read the book, “The Blue Bottle Club”, by Penelope J. Stokes.  From 2001 to 2005, I read or listened to over 50 books, the synergy of which changed my whole outlook on life.  There is untold wealth to be discovered in books, and I have always been a reader.  I would come home from school, grab a Nancy Drew or Hardy Boys, and climb into the tree in our yard to read.  Other books of great importance to me are, “Spirit Song” and “The Visitation,” by Mary Summer Rain, “The Prophet’s Way” and “The Last Hours of Ancient Sunlight” by Thom Hartmann, “The Ancestral Mind,” by Gregg D. Jacobs, and “The Highly Sensitive Person,” by Elaine Aaron.

Writing began with a protest, as did public speaking.  St. Lawrence County, NY, where I lived from 1976 to 1997, planned on building a garbage incinerator. I wrote letter upon letter to the editor (most being published), and risked fainting dead away to verbally protest at a meeting of the County Legislature in a high-ceiling room with marble floors and dark wood trim.  The grandeur and mystery alone were enough to scare me to death.  I read from my prepared speech and fell to my seat.  I was one small voice helping to defeat the proposed incinerator.  I have continued writing letters to editors, and have had several published in the Plain Dealer.

I have three children.  Cara is a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Florida (‘Gator’ territory ...) and is studying the paleoclimate of caves.  Her research site is in Mexico.  Stephen is teaching 8th grade math in New Hampshire.  Philip is retired from the navy and living in Northern New York.

A few life experiences:  raising milk goats and making fresh cheese, chairman of a planning board and a board of appeals, secretary for the St. Lawrence County Environmental Management Council, hiking 60 miles of the Appalachian Trail, art instructor since 1982 (including two semesters at the State University of NY at Potsdam), exhibited in numerous juried art shows in NY and OH, ongoing exhibitor in four galleries; Reiki practitioner, and member of the Buckeye Trail, the Akron Society of Artists, COSE, Eldercare Professionals of Ohio, and Shadybrook.  Having varied experiences helps me to understand people and daily living.  Life is a continuing journey of discovery, and it is experiencing the ‘now’ of every moment, connecting with the spiritual, and reaching out to others that makes life rewarding.

I learned of Shadybrook through a member of the RDC (Regional Development Coalition, since disbanded as it was funded by Duke, no longer present in the Cleveland area). This organization was formed by NAIOP.  Imagine my surprise when I learned that NAIOP stood for "National Association of Industrial and Office Properties".  At first I felt like I was out of place, but soon came to offer views from a different perspective that were helpful to the group.  Frank A. Mills was also a member, and thus I learned of Shadybrook.

I joined Shadybrook at a time of great learning and change in my life, and it was an integral part of this discovery and growth.  Currently I am expanding the part of my business called Imagination Arts, which presents interactive events to stimulate creative thinking.  Two such programs have been hosted by Shadybrook, with a third to be at the spring retreat.  Imagination Arts games and exercises are done as part of an entertaining group experience of music and drawing.  Everyone can participate because the exercises are experiential; the drawing itself is not important.  This program is good for team-building, wellness, relaxation, and right-brain stimulation. I also have five blogs.  There are links on each to easily jump to the others.  Visit at www.whitelightofpeace.blogspot.com, and do not be shy.  A blog is for connecting and for conversation.  Leave a comment!