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Today's Featured Biography
Emily Baker Cranmer
How can it possibly be 41 years since we graduated from high school? I have truly enjoyed reading everyone’s bios. I think the members of our class have had really remarkable lives. My sister has read some of them. She made the remark that not all classes are like this. I certainly agree.
I graduated from the University of Oklahoma in l969 with a major in journalism, promptly moved to Dallas, and spent the next few years with an assortment of really enjoyable and diverse jobs. In Dallas, I was the copy editor and head of advertising sales for a fashion magazine. I then moved to back to Norman and OU where I was the copy editor of the OU alumni magazine, and copy writer for an assortment of brochures and advertising jobs for the university. Needing a little better salary, I accepted a job as copy editor for the US Drug Education Program – a government and university-funded program. After that, I opted for a better job as public relations director for St. Anthony Hospital in Oklahoma City.
In 1973 I met my husband, Kerry. We met in June, became engaged in September, and were married in November…my poor mom. I look back and can’t believe that I did that to her. Both of our daughters were born in 1978… Amy in January, and Erin in December. I feel very fortunate that I was able to be a stay-at-home mom until they both graduated from high school.
Amy lives in Norman, but is moving to Oklahoma City. Erin lives outside of Nashville with her husband, Tyler, and my three gorgeous, precious granddaughters….Emmeline, 3, Elizabella, 2, and Emelia Grace, 10 months. Yes, she had three babies in three years. I keep the road hot between here and Nashville.
My mother, Harriet, is 85 years old and going strong. She is purely amazing. I think scientists need to study her. She still lives alone in her own home in Edmond, about eight miles from my sister and from me. She still drives, and very well I might say. She runs her own errands, does her own cooking, and looks 15 years younger than her age.
Well, back to ancient history. Beginning in 1974, I was the organist for our church for approximately 20 years. Can’t remember the exact year that I quite. That was an amazing time. We had a band with electric guitars, drums, horns, saxophones, and so forth. When we started this form of church music, some churches were still kicking drummers and electric guitarists out. The last 15 years, I had a wailing B3 organ. I loved it. Our band played old hymns, contemporary gospel, jazz, blues, soft rock, rock…and so on. We even had the wonderful opportunity to play at the Oklahoma City Art’s Festival. Now, that was fun.
I became the office manager and CFO of our businesses in 1998. Never in my wildest dreams did I ever think I would be doing this.
My husband, Kerry, is a physician with a specialty in geriatrics and hospice care. He has more energy than a total of 10 people do, and I am still learning how to keep up with him. I think he is the original energizer bunny. In addition to my husband’s medical practice, we do medical research studies for varied pharmaceutical companies, and we have a product, which we are trying to market. Kerry also is a lecturer and speaks around the US several times a month.
On the flip side, we are helping start a missionary work in the southern tip of India. I say missionary, but we are involved with some close friends who are from that area of India. The suicide rate among middle-aged women in this part of India is the highest in the world. Most of these women are uneducated and have no family. In addition, aged individuals who have no family to care for them are left on the streets. In a nutshell, we plan to build a nursing home. The elderly from the streets will be cared for in this home, and we will train the jobless women how to care for the frail elderly. An individual has already donated the land on which to build this home. It’s a start. Kerry and I will be going to India in January to work on this. Kerry will also be preaching at a crusade in southern India. Can’t say I am too excited about the 18-hour plus flight. When we went to Singapore, I couldn’t wait to get off the airplane so that I could just walk and stretch my legs. Actually, I really love traveling. My husband and I have been to a lot of wonderful places, and I am so thankful for the many opportunities.
I am really looking forward to seeing everyone at the reunion on Friday night. However, I will be unable to attend the Saturday night meeting. My niece is getting married, and one of her showers is in Tulsa on Saturday. I don’t want to disappoint her.
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