KAREN BANASZAK

Karen Banaszak is living in Madison, WI with her husband Jeff Reinke.

Karen is working - she has been an "ECG Technician at Meriter Hospital for 36 years".

So what has she been doing all these years? "I have 32 nieces and nephews and 8 great nieces and nephews and one on the way. I borrowed them until aunts were not so cool!

We travel more than ever through Eastern Europe - Poland twice, once before the wall came down, Italy and Guatemala.

Now that I have travel and observed other countries, I allow myself to be politically active. Hoping to turn this country in a different way."

A fovorite memory ? "I have always loved art and literature. It meant something to me. I remember making a clay tile. We were given instruments to make marks. We were not allowed to write words but we were instructed to make marks as if we were leaving a message for years to come. The marks were to be in the top right-hand side and an expression of the future.

I lived on the west side and my sister lived on the east side. While taking a walk with my sister and her dog, I buried the tile along tracks on the east side of Madison and forgot about it.

I now live on the east side. One day I was walking with my dog along those tracks and I accidentally kicked up the tile. It had worked its way up from the dirt. That was a powerful thing!"

Wow ! Can't wait to hear a bit more about this. See you in July!