After reading this month’s resident spotlight, you’ll find yourself wondering what, if anything, Judy Doyle doesn’t do! From watercolor painting, to playing the violin, ballroom dancing and beyond, she’s a woman with many giftings. Not to mention she also earned a Ph.D. in chemistry!
Judy was born in Jamaica, New York, to her parents, Catherine and Carl. Carl was a mechanical engineer, while Catherine held things down on the home front as an excellent seamstress and cook. She also had a brother, Charles, who was 10 years older and went on to serve in the U.S. Navy.
Playing the piano was a dream of Judy’s, but the cost of the instrument led her to find her fit with the violin instead. She started playing in sixth grade at school and has kept up with it over the years.
“As I got into the higher grades, there was a student who played very well, and I wanted to take lessons from her teacher,” explained Judy. “My parents paid for me to do that every other week, which meant more money for the lessons and driving into New York City. I enjoyed this teacher who was from Yugoslavia; his name was Schoen. I especially remember that his daughter had cerebral palsy, and my father was able to build a wooden step for her to use to exercise. He really enjoyed helping people. Playing the violin was very important to me, and I eventually became concert mistress of the orchestra at my school.”
Math and science were Judy’s fortes, and when it came time to choose a college, she selected Mount Holyoke College, a prestigious girl’s school in Massachusetts. After being accepted and offered an alumnae scholarship, her very generous aunt and uncle paid the remaining tuition balance for all four years.
“The college was very academically challenging,” noted Judy. “Anna Jane Harrison, a chemistry professor I had my freshman year, became a mentor for my four years there. She significantly affected my future. When I graduated in 1962, she encouraged me to go to graduate school and get my Ph.D. in chemistry, which I did in 1967. I kept in touch with her for many years.”
During graduate school, Judy met her now-husband, Dick, at the University of Michigan, where he was also studying chemistry. They eventually married and moved to Granville, Ohio, with a three-month baby girl! Dick started working at Denison University as a chemistry professor, and Judy taught chemistry part-time at several local colleges.
When their second daughter entered kindergarten, Judy became certified to teach high school chemistry and physics. She really wanted to be a teacher and not have the pressure to “publish or perish,” like she did at the college level. Notably, in 1989, she was encouraged to apply for The Presidential Award for Excellence in Science Teaching for the state of Ohio. One award was given for each state in math and science, and she won the statewide science prize!
Judy recalled, “It was very exciting. Dick and I were invited to Washington, D.C. for 5 days with all the other teachers and students from around the U.S. We had wonderful dinners, one in the State House dining room, many tours, a meeting with President and Mrs. Busch in the White House Rose Garden, science speakers and many other memorable events. It also came with a grant for $5000, which I was able to match from local businesses to buy computers for my classroom.”
Dick and Judy have been married for 62 years. Interestingly, the couple took weekly ballroom dancing lessons for more than 20 of them to help relieve ongoing stress from their jobs. Seamstress skills relayed by Judy’s mother came in handy, as Judy also created their ballroom dance costumes! Once a year, the pair participated in a showcase where each class and individual couple would perform a number. “We did both, and we were always relieved when it was over, “Judy added.
Judy's current hobbies are watercolor painting and playing her violin. She has kept up playing by participating in several community orchestras, in church and for some weddings. On Sundays, she plays for the chapel service at Ohio Living Llanfair. She also teaches a watercolor class on campus for other Ohio Living Llanfair residents.
When asked what she loves about Ohio Living Llanfair, Judy relayed, “We love not raking leaves, no shoveling snow, calling maintenance to have things fixed (and not be billed!) and walking to the salon to have my hair cut. We also enjoy the many activities that keep us busy, housekeepers who clean twice a month and letting someone else do the cooking!”