Meet your new neighbors

Now retired, Jim and Judy Spina have come to Tehachapi from Turlock, California, in the company of their six year old yellow Labrador Retriever, Sophie. They have always liked small towns and had been in Turlock for 15 years. When I asked what brought them to Tehachapi, the answer was simple –most of their grandchildren live in Bear Valley Springs.

Jim is a retired sales representative. He worked for a food broker for 35 years before he retired. He was born in Portland, Oregon, and has a brother and two sisters. His family moved to California and settled near Tracy when he entered junior high school.

Judy spent 20 years as a school principal’s secretary before she retired. She was born in Tracy and has one sister and one brother. She met Jim in high school. They became sweethearts and eventually married. Jim joined the army but injured his knee while jumping out of a helicopter, keeping him from being deployed to Viet Nam. Judy swears that this was the result of her mom’s prayer that Jim would not go to war.

The couple has two sons who were pretty much raised in Modesto where the family lived for 24 years. Judy said that there are places in Modesto she still misses. Their oldest son Jeff is a fireman in Bakersfield. He lives in Bear Valley and is the father of the four children under the age of six that brought Jim and Judy to Tehachapi. Their son, Chris and his family lives in Geneva, Illinois, where he works for Grundfos pumps.

Aside from spending time with the grandkids, Jim and Judy have time to pursue their other passions. Judy loves to decoratively paint and refurbish furniture. Jim says that he doesn’t really have a hobby but he does like to go hunting. He has that to look forward to next year.

Welcome to Tehachapi, Jim and Judy.

Tehachapi is Stephanie Bailey’s first teaching assignment. She arrived from Costa Mesa in Orange County in October to fill the position of counselor in the Tehachapi Unified School District. She said that she had lived not too far from South Coast Plaza which is still one of the biggest shopping malls in Southern California, maybe even the state.

Stephanie was raised and went to school in Baldwin Park. She said that her grandma is still living there. She is an only child and grew up loving music. She learned to play the flute in middle school and she was always part of both jazz and concert bands. She still lists the flute as one of her hobbies along with plastic canvas needlepoint.

Stephanie received her credentials at California State University Fullerton and Azusa Pacific University. She explained that her new position in Tehachapi is working in a newly formed alternative academic setting for Jacobsen Middle School, Monroe High School and Tehachapi High School. This year the schools have what is called in-school suspensions where the students are not sent home but counseled and taught in a classroom setting away from their regular classes. Stephanie says that she has anywhere from three to twelve students per day. She is given assignments for completion from the student’s regular teachers. She also has the opportunity to counsel the students on their choices and get involved with their decision-making process.

Shortly after moving to Tehachapi, Stephanie wandered into our office and asked if we could give her some information about Tehachapi and what there is to do here. We spent about an hour together and I sincerely hope that we didn’t overwhelm her with information about her new town.

Welcome to Tehachapi, Stephanie!

I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy holiday season.

This has been an amazing year and I have met so many wonderful and interesting people who are bringing their talents and enthusiasm to Tehachapi. I am forever amazed at how many different places our new residents come from and the reasons that bring them to our town. It has been my pleasure to write about each and every one of them.

To all of them and to those who read this column, Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas

and a Very Happy New Year. ~ Pat Doody, Welcome Hostess

If you have moved to the Greater Tehachapi Area within the last six months and would like to know more about your new community, call 661-822-8188. We will be happy to make an appointment for a hostess to come by and give you lots of helpful information, some valuable coupons, gifts and much more. Many families and individuals who come to the area are pleasantly surprised with the amount of knowledge they gather about their new home. Publishing your welcome article is completely voluntary and is not a requirement of being welcomed.