5. What did you do right after graduation?
LEWIS: Went to Gallaudet College as a class of
1970 member. Was academically dismissed
(hey, it was the 70s!) as a sophomore, so he
left after the fall semester in '72.

TRUDY: Graduated from H.S. In 1991. Then
graduated from Gallaudet University in 1995.
My dad died my first semester in college, two
weeks after I had seen him - he knew I was
happy at Gallaudet, and I think this made him
happy.

6a. What type of job did you have after
college?
LEWIS: Job-hopped for a while, working odd
jobs. Eventually ended up in Springfield, IL,
working for the State of Illinois in the
accounting department until his death.

TRUDY: I went to graduate school at the
University of Illinois-Chicago, graduated in '97,
and worked mainly in nonprofit administration
(my MA is in Public Administration). I worked
in both Chicago and then Minnesota before
taking a year off to travel. I eventually took a
job as editor in chief of Silent News, and left in
Feb. 2002, then set up my own writing business.
I returned to Minnesota, and currently live in a
log house just outside of Faribault (where the
MN State Academy for the Deaf is located).

Interesting note: I grew up in Springfield until
1983, when my parents divorced. Then Mom
and I moved to Jacksonville where I attended
ISD for a year - then she remarried some time
later, so we relocated to the Chicago suburbs,
where I lived until I moved to Minnesota. Dad
was in Springfield until the day he died, but is
buried in Trinity, N.C.

8. What year did you marry?
LEWIS: Married my mom, who he met in
college, in March 1974. They eventually
divorced in Sept. 1983.

TRUDY: Just married to Randy Shank after being
with him for 13 years now. (Yes, 13 years!) He's
a teacher at MSAD.

9. How many kids in all do you have?
DAD: One - deaf (Trudy).

TRUDY: None. I have two dogs, though, and one
is deaf. :)

10. What was the first car you bought?
LEWIS: No idea. I'll have to ask Mom about that.
I do have a videotape of him showing off his
car, though - I'll look at it and try to catch what
he signed.

TRUDY: First car I *bought* was a 1993
Cherokee Jeep. I still drive a Jeep today - it's a
'04 Grand Cherokee!

11. Your favorite vacation spot?
LEWIS: I don't know - but every opportunity he
had to take a vacation from work, he always
headed straight to N.C. to visit his family and
friends. In fact, the second-to-last time I saw
him - when he visited me at Gallaudet (about a
month or two before he died) - he had just
come from N.C.

TRUDY: The world is my favorite vacation spot!

12. All time favorite TV show?
LEWIS: He loved anything that was comedic -
like Benny Hill or sitcoms. He also loved sports,
so I grew up always watching sports on TV with
him. He used to love watching FANTASY ISLAND
when it was captioned, and LOVE BOAT. I
remember he was so thrilled when captioning
came out, as I was, too. (I was 5 years old at
the time!)

TRUDY: I share my dad's love of comedy. Even
today, although the show is 20-30 years old, I
crack up at THREE'S COMPANY and other
comedy shows. I also loved KNOTS LANDING and
DYNASTY - and, don't laugh - BEVERLY HILLS
90210.

13. Favorite TV show today?
LEWIS: N/A

TRUDY: LAW & ORDER, all three versions.

14. Favorite movie?
LEWIS: I remember he always would watch
anything funny, ESPECIALLY the POLICE
ACADEMY series.

TRUDY: I'm not a big movie watcher, but the
movies I watch, I can hardly pick out a favorite.
THE COLOR PURPLE is definitely one, and
MONSTERS, INC. :)

15. What is your hobby or hobbies?
LEWIS: SPORTS, socializing, socializing,
socializing. He also liked to do fill-in puzzles,
and woodburning. But he loved to go out and
talk with people. He was also a big Green Bay
Packers fan, so I grew up always liking the
Packers (which is a good thing, because my
boyfriend is a die-hard Packers fan - being
from Wisconsin!).

TRUDY: Reading, reading, reading. I like
socializing, too, but would prefer to go
camping, hiking, etc. I also love animals,
especially dogs.

16. What is your favorite food?
LEWIS: He had so many, but he loved fried
bologna - cube steak with gravy - this particular
brand of chili from NC (I can't remember). He
always would say he wanted NC food, NC food.
So every time we went to NC, he'd eat
everything that wasn't available in IL. :) He also
loved Butterfinger candy, which I eat all the
time, too.

TRUDY: I like anything that's meat & potatoes.
Don't have a particular favorite food. I'm also
weak when it comes to specific candy bars
(Butterfinger, Reese's, Snickers, Caramello,
etc.).

17. What year did you get your 1st computer?
LEWIS: N/A

TRUDY: I started using them when I was six or
seven, but I got my first computer in 1993.

18. What is your 5 favorite web sites?
LEWIS: N/A

TRUDY: www.tswriting.com, cnn.com,
google.com, anitakrollinteriors.com, and yes!
ncsd1970.com :)