Return to Grovium PageA student was shocked when he saw what I looked like only about 10 years ago... Oh boy, grey hair and extra pounds really makes a difference. I hope I still look like I love teaching, because I DO. When THAT goes away, I'll stop teaching.
During the year and during the summer, I get a chance to travel:
- Mr. Groves discovers Cruising:
- I went on my first cruise this winter. We went to the Texicarribean. This is me at the Mayan ruins at Altun-Ha in Belize. I am very high up (60 feet). I'm kind of standing near the edge.
- Grading the AP Exam:
- I was invited to help grade the AP exams. 167 high school teachers and college professors met in June at Clemson University, South Carolina. Here is a picture of my question group.
It's kind of hard to tell what my ethnicity is... some think I am Latin, some East Indian. This has always worked pretty well for me because people fill in the blank with whatever they need me to be. In actuality, I am very, very proud of my American Indian heritage. On my mother's side I am Yakama Indian (from Washington state). On my father's side, I am Cherokee (Dad was from Oklahoma). Mixed in is some English blood.
My mother grew up on the reservation, but was not allowed to participate in much of the Indian culture (her father's idea.) What we have learned about our culture was from later visits to the reservation. My sister currently lives on the reservation, so she is probably the best informed.
People ask me if I have an Indian name... I do... Weowumpt (wee-OW'-umpt). It means "Singing on the Way" which I think is a terrific name and really matches my outlook. The name was my Uncle Cy's and he gave it to me one day in the old kitchen when I was visiting at the reservation. I said, "You know, I don't have an Indian name." Uncle Cy responded, "You can have mine, I've had it long enough." And that was that. I'll never forget it.
Here is USUALLY a picture of most of my immediate family. This was at a Thanksgiving and we thought it would be a good idea to get a picture of the bunch of us since we don't get together all that often. Mom and Dad are in the front and my sister and three brothers and my sister's two kids are pictured.
From left to right: Rita (Joanne's daughter), Joanne (my sister and oldest sibling), Jason (Joanne's son), Me, Jim (deceased), Larry (my "little brother") and Charley (deceased). Click here or on the picture if you need to see a closer view.
They are not physically around anymore, but I can see them in who I am and how good I feel about myself. My mom was a homemaker, but her passion was as an antique dealer. She collected more than she sold, but she collected some beautiful stuff (Early American primitive mostly... pie safes, dry sinks, etc.)
Dad was a civilian worker for the Air Force, but after his retirement, he started an agency that helped elderly Indians get in touch with services that they were entitled to but not necessarily taking advantage of. He was on the InterTribal Council and was part of the President's Council on Aging. Both Mom and Dad impressed me as action people who made the kids a high priority, but had lives of their own as well. Click here or on the picture if you want a closer look. This was at their 50th wedding anniversary party.
Ron and I have been partners since 1979. You can see us mugging for the camera at the Haunted Mansion film at the top of the page. Ron does computer work for a major financial institution. We run a charity Bingo game together and decorate ceramics as a hobby. Luckily, we are both computer nuts. He is better at the technical side while I do much of the layout and graphic work. You can follow this link to his page.
