Education
    I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri, and graduated from Kirkwood High School in Kirkwood, Missouri, which is one of the suburbs of St. Louis.  I attended the University of Missouri - Columbia, where I earned three degrees: AB with Honors in Psychology (June, 1971), MA in Counseling Psychology (May, 1973), and Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology (December, 1974).

Professional Employment
    My first position after graduate school was at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green, Ky., where I went as Instructor/Assistant Professor of Psychology in August, 1974.  I taught at WKU for ten years, earning tenure and promotion to Associate Professor, then left in 1984 for Hendrix College in Conway, Arkansas.  I came back to WKU in January, 1987, and have been here ever since, having been promoted to Professor in 1990.

Family
    I am married to Dr. Richard Greer, who is also a psychologist and whose main job is as Director of the Counseling and Testing Center at WKU.  We have two children, Sarah, who is a medical student at the University of Louisville, and John, who graduated from Vanderbilt University in May, 2002.  I also have two step-children, Phil and Sharon, both of whom are married and live with their families in North Carolina.  My parents and my sister and her family still live in Kirkwood, while my older brother and his family live in the Washington, D.C. area, and my younger brother and his family live in one of the suburbs of Minneapolis.
    We have one pet, a black cat named Angus (Gus).  I have to admit that I am partial to cats, especially black ones; Gus is just the latest in a string of black cats in our family.  Our dog, Sam, died in August, 2002 at the age of 13.

Personal Interests
    I particularly enjoy reading, mostly novels.  I like some science fiction, especially novels based on the "Star Trek" series - both "Classic Trek" and "Next Generation" - but I most often read general fiction and historical fiction with women as the main characters.  Probably my all-time favorite novel is Jane Austen's _Pride and Prejudice_, and I also have read all of Mary Stewart's novels.  A recent favorite author of mine is Diana Gabaldon, who has written four books (so far) about a time-traveling British woman, in a series about Scottish people - another interest of mine.  My husband and I are both of Scottish ancestry, and we enjoy going to Scottish Highland Games and Clan Gatherings.  I am a member of the North American branch of the MacMillan Clan, and my husband has been very active in the American Clan Gregor Society.
    I enjoy sewing and make some clothing for myself and my family.  When my children were in high school, I volunteered my time to help make costumes for the school musicals, so I have a little experience as a costumer.  In addition to clothing construction, I do some embroidery, and I crochet.
    I like music very much.  Although I haven't had formal music training, I do enjoy singing, so I sing in my church choir, but most of my involvement in music is as a listener.  My radio is usually tuned to what is often referred to as "Oldies Rock" - music from the '50's, '60's, and early '70's - though I also like some classical music, some contemporary rock music, and some country-western music, too.
    For exercise I walk.  In the summer when the weather is warm and the days are long, I walk outside.  In the winter, I use my home treadmill.

Some web sites I like:
    My son sang with a men's A Cappella group in college: Vanderbilt's Dodecaphonics
    A good site on Scottish stuff: Gathering of the Clans
    The fabulous Celtic rock band: Seven Nations
    For easy and good recipes, try Mr. Food
    More easy and fun recipes: Back of the Box
    The church I belong to: Christ Episcopal Church
    Some fun on-line games: Fun-Trivia
    A good source of health information: The Merck Manual
    A great on-line reference source: The Library Spot
    About the city where I live: Bowling Green, Kentucky
    Lots of funny stuff: Humor Matters
    If you need help measuring something, try Measure for Measure
    My alma mater: The University of Missouri - Columbia
    Funny answers to interesting questions: The Straight Dope Column

Created July 18, 2000.  Last modified August 19, 2002.
All contents (c) Retta Poe 2000.