After graduating from Rocky, Holly Brown Riviere stuck close to home for a while and majored in biology at Augustana College in Rock Island. Following her undergrad years, she attended the Univ. of Illinois Graduate College of Medicine in Chicago where she earned a PhD in Human Anatomy. But it wasn't all work. Holly met her future husband, George Riviere, at the university and after they graduated in 1971, the two married. He is a pediatric dentist. They have two children - Michael, 35, lives in Oregon and Kate, 33, lives nearby and has two children, Noah, 7, and Graece, 4. "I babysit at least once a week," Holly says. For the past eight years, the couple has been living in the Tucson area in a development called SaddleBrooke. Three dogs, an English Setter, Annie, Daisy, a Dalmatian Terrier mix, and Duke, a Rhodesian Lab mix round out the family. "We have a big yard," Holly chuckled. Prior to their retirement, they moved frequently so Holly said they adopted the philosophy that wherever they were - that was home. After graduating from the University of Illinois, the pair continued their education at UCLA. Holly did postdoctoral work and research in human anatomy while George earned a PhD in Immunology. Once George finished grad school, he owed the military two years. Throughout his college career - undergrad and graduate - he was in the reserves so back to Illinois they went. George was stationed at the Great Lakes Naval Training Station on Lake Michigan just north of Chicago and served as a Lieutenant Commander. During those years, Holly taught part time. "It was really nice because he was a junior officer, and we had some nice perks as a result of that," she said. Once George fulfilled his obligation to the military, the couple returned to LA where they lived for the next 13 years. He was a professor at the UCLA Dental School and Holly was a "mommy." Later she taught part time in the community college system. "I kept busy just being a mom," she said. Kansas City was their next stop, and they lived there for two years before heading west again - this time to Portland. By then, both of their children were in high school so both Holly and George taught full time at the Oregon Health Sciences University. She taught human anatomy, histology and pathology. "It was great - beautiful country and a lot of fun," Holly said. Thirteen years later, in 2002, they both retired and were searching for the perfect retirement area when they visited their daughter in Tucson. At the time, Kate was a graduate student at the Univ. of Arizona. The new retirees decided to look around and Holly said, "We looked at this development and really liked it and put our money down." Since retiring, their pace has slowed down considerably, and it's a good life Holly says. She enjoys oil painting and particularly likes to paint pet portraits. Holly also putters in the yard and plays golf. The two of them belong to a couple's golf group, but most of all, they enjoy spending time with their children and grandchildren. "It is a nice retirement community and there are always activities going on and our daughter's close." Holly has fond high school memories. She played the cello in the orchestra and laughed as she recalled one day at practice. "Poor Mr. McDowell - a bunch of kids took his baton and threw it up and it stuck in the ceiling." She was always a sports fan and was thrilled when the basketball team made it to state. "I always liked going to the games." Holly took advanced classes and was one of only two girls in advanced chemistry. "That was always a lot of fun," she said. In her senior year, Holly and Don Crownover were selected to go to the Seattle Worlds Fair for the Science Fair. Her project was Vitamin D Deficiency and Stress Line Formation in White Mice. "The fair was a lot of fun," she recalls. "But it was cold up there." Being inducted into the National Honor Society 1962 was a thrill for her and unexpected she says. Holly was also a member of the photography club and still enjoys photography today. She would love to hear from other classmates - hlriviere@wbhsi.net. "I hope to make it to the next reunion and see everyone," Holly said. |
