Updated January 2005

Hello! My name is Diana !

My hobbies are varied. I am an avid amateur astronomer. I made my first telescope when I was in junior high school. I putter around with photography, love music, and most recently, I have developed quite an interest in local history and genealogy.

I have been a resident of Western New York for my entire life. My mother influenced my interest in teaching and learning. She was what we call today, a life long learner.  All the time I was growing up, she would continue to put up her seasonal bulletin board displays. There was never a season that past without them.

Like many, I didn’t know right way, just where my interests would take me. I started out working at Eastman Kodak Company in the optics field. I went through the company-training program and after three years, became an optics-manufacturing engineer. My initial interest in the field was brought on by my life long interest in astronomy.  Light and optics fascinated me so it seemed a good place to start.

Shortly after graduating from the optics program, my first son was born. My hours in industry kept me away from home for as much as sixty to seventy hours each week. I did not feel as though my work in optics was really making any difference in the grand scheme of things. Additionally, I was not getting much of a chance to see my son go through those first few years of growth.

In discussions with my family, I decided that going back to college to become a teacher would provide the kind of personal fulfillment and quality family time I was looking for. So, in the spring of 1980 I returned to college, obtained my bachelors degree in three years, and began teaching full-time in 1984. I earned my Masters degree in 1989 and am planning on getting my Educational Doctorate in Computer Education and Distance Learning within the next few years. My decision was the correct one for me. My years in teaching have been extraordinary. Few professions offer a person the opportunity to touch so many lives in a positive way.

In November of 1988 my first marriage ended for reasons unrelated to my gender issues. In 1990 I met my current wife who has been very supportive of me and my gender issues. The key to our success in marriage has been total honesty from day one. Communication is key. This means "really" listening to each other with respect and compassion. My wife has been and is my lover, best friend, and confidant.

So here I am, 50 years old with two wonderful sons and a new grandchild! My oldest son is working for a large Internet service provider. Life can be very humbling!  My youngest son is in 11th grade and seems to be a younger version of myself. That too, is humbling!

In the Fall of 2000 I took a new position in a different school district. My move was prompted by a substantial increase in pay and a much shorter commute. Initially the job seemed to be working out. Unfortunately this was not to continue. The community I relocated to was very conservative and phobic in matters regarding a" traditional male presentation."

I have always felt that I was out of synchrony with my true nature... my true self. As such, for almost thirty years I have lived bouncing back and forth between my male image in public and my femme self at home. In the past ten years this disharmony has increased significantly. More and more I had been changing my appearance to more align with my inner sense of self. In August of 2001 I began seeing a therapist with experience with gender issues. Finally, in July of 2002 the pain of my gender dysphoria drove me into a deep depression and I began having thoughts of ending the pain. This was the turning point. It was apparent that I could not continue to deny my true nature any longer.

In the interim I have shifted from working in a traditional school setting to teaching college online. This makes sense as I am only beginning the long journey of transition. Hopefully in time, I will be ready to take my place in the world at large as the woman that I am. For now, I am living most of the time as a woman with the exception of interactions with extended family. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle that!

Since July 2002, my wife and I have had many tearful conversations that have extended on for hours. Always we maintained our love and listened to one another as we shared our truths, our hopes, our dreams, and our fears. After much soul searching and many tearful nights, we have been able to reconcile our truths. Our children are grown and living their own lives in their own homes. All of our children have been told about my transition and they are accepting. My wife has accepted that Diana is who I am and who she fell in love with. How it is that I am so blessed I do not know. I was prepared for the worst yet the worst did not come. Why am I so fortunate? I wish I could answer that. All I can say is that like the song by Celine Dion, "Love Can Move Mountains." For this I thank God.

My wonderful wife works in the medical field. Since she is at her terminal all day long, she rarely wants to use the computer once she arrives home. I cannot blame her! My oldest son and my daughter by marriage know of me and accept me for who I am. My daughter even does my hair!

My wife and I are both  fans of contemporary country, celtic, big band, and piano music. We like drives in the country and spending time with family and friends. Long walks in the evening are a particularly pleasurable activity... especially in the warm summer months when we can travel to the Lake Ontario shore. Work around the yard and the house takes up most of our fair weather time. 

You may email me here