Kathryn Anne Dowling

Volunteer Extraordinaire!

I was born in Staunton, Virginia.  Shortly thereafter, my father,

 a lubricating engineer for Texaco, was assigned the area around Harrisburg,

 Pennsylvania, which is where my sister was born.  My mother, an anesthetist,

gave chloroform to individuals who chose to have their babies at home

 and dealt with people who needed home care.

 

When I was in fifth grade, my father was transferred to the Pittsburgh area.

  He covered the steel plants of Pennsylvania, Ohio and West Virginia.

 He would leave home on Monday morning and return on Friday.

 My mother decided to take a full time job as a hospital anesthetist

where she had to work the shifts around the clock. 

Under these circumstances, what to do with the kids? 

You send them to boarding school.

 

We lived in the convent of the Sisters of Divine Providence.

 I was a very poor student.  Because I was convinced I was retarded,

 I didn't bother.  Sister Geraldine soon figured this out

and started putting the pressure on. 

Before long, I was among the top members of the class.

 

When I was a senior, I applied for admission

 to Carnegie Institute of Technology and was accepted. 

When I excitedly told my father, his reply was,

"Whatever gave you the idea that you were going to college? 

I don't believe in girls going to college. 

They just get  married and all of that money is wasted."

 

I got a job with Nabisco and started to go to night school. 

Before long a company named Union Switch and Signal

convinced me to work for them.  I was given a partner

and we designed the centralized traffic control machines

for railroads all over the world.  I loved the job,

but still thought I should go to college. 

 

At this point, I had saved enough money

and decided that I wanted to be an engineer. 

The  hitch was that I didn't have some of the high school subjects

 required  for engineering.  My advisor thought the best thing I could do

was start in the area where I had been accepted

and change later on.. I never changed.

 

When I was a senior, I took the National Teachers Examand was hired

by the City of  Pittsburgh for a whopping $2,000 per year for 200 days.

 I started going to the University of Pittsburgh

to acquire the six graduate credits required for certification.

 

Somewhere along the line, I met someone

who convinced me to leave Pittsburgh

 for a job in a town called Cecil for more money and 185 days. 

Bobby Vinton was a student in that school at the time. 

I applied for and received a Frick scholarship to Penn State

for  my master's degree.

 

When I got to Penn State, but before I registered,

I met the Superintendent of Schools in DuBois, Pa. 

He started to try to convince me that I should go there to teach.

  He even went so far as to send a car over to take me to DuBois

to show me around.  After a while, the money difference

got to the point that I felt I couldn't turn it down.

 

In DuBois, I became an avid golfer.  After several years there,

I decided that it was time to move on. 

There were a number of jobs available,

but my sister's friends who lived in East Northport, NY,

convinced me that Long Island was the place to be. 

They were right.

 

In September of 1961, I started teaching

at South Ocean Avenue Junior High School.

 

While in DuBois, I had been invited to join Delta Kappa Gamma,

an honorary group of women teachers.

When I moved to Long Island my membership

was transferred to Suffolk County.  this gave me an opportunity

to meet and develop friendships with people

I would not have otherwise met.

 

In 1962, the Pilot Club of Patchogue, a women's service club,

was organized and I became a charter member.

 

After five years at South Ocean, the Superintendent decided

that I was needed at the High School. 

In 1968 the assistant principal asked me

 to organize a Future Homemakers of America Club

because there were clubs for boys but nothing for girls. 

 told him I had something better, Anchor Club,

which is a youth group associated with teh Pilot Club. 

Anchor Club is still an active part of the High School.

 

When the new High School building on Buffalo Avenue was open,

I was to go to the new building.  As some of you know,

at the last minute, that never happened

and those of us who were to go to the high school

remained at the old building which became

Saxton Street Middle School.

 

When I was buying my house, I went out of the way

to make sure that my son,  David, would not be a student

in the school where I was teaching.  As it turned out,

we both ended up in Saxton.  Through the years,

I also spent some time teaching at Oregon Avenue Middle School.

 

In 1979, I married Walter "Jay" Pelish.  It was a great wedding

thanks to the faculty at Saxton Street.  We became very involved in family,

both his and mine.  In 1986, I joined a large group

who decided it was time to retire.  I have kept very busy

with my many activities in Pilot Club, Delta Kappa Gamma

and the Advisory Council at Brookhaven Memorial Hospital.

 

I have also enjoyed traveling, not only to visit family,

but to places like China, Thailand, the Philippines, Panama,

Ireland, Italy, Scotland, England, Greece, Holland, the Czech Republic

 and the Scandinavian countries.  I have circumnavigated South America

and visited many states in the  United States. 

 

In 1998, Jay became very ill and passed away. 

That left a very big hole in my life.  Someone pointed out that volunteers

 were needed at the newly renovated Patchogue Theatre so I decided to volunteer.

 My responsibilities have included ushering, taking tickets and working at the bar. 

I have found this experience very rewarding because I enjoy meeting people. 

You get to meet all kinds depending on the show.

When your job is completed you can stay and enjoy the show.

 

Volunteers are still needed. 

Call Clara at 631-207-1300 or fax to 631-207-1391.