Elaine Summers (Elaine Kirkland)

Dar High School

Class of 1971

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First Name	Elaine
Last Name	Summers
Maiden Name	Kirkland
Graduation Year	Class of 1971
Gender	Female
City	N/A
State/Province	AL
Country	United States
Occupation	Registered Nurse
Married	Yes
Favorite School Memory	Getting on the A-B honor roll & all the laughs while standing around the heaters in the hall until class began.
About Me	Married my high school sweetheart & we began a career in the Air Force. Our first location was San Angelo, TX. It was my first time away from home & it was sometimes scary since we were so far away from family & friends. I started working in a hospital there & my love for the nursing profession was planted! Our daughter was born in TX. (She is also an Alumni of DAR.) We moved from TX to go to Japan for a couple of years. That was a drastic change! The language barrier was difficult to say the least. Our son was born in Japan on Misawa Air Base on New Years day. He was the first baby of the year. (He is also an Alumni of DAR.) We came back to the states & stayed awhile with our parents before moving to MO outside of Kansas City on Whiteman, AFB. We lived there for 6 yrs. I loved living there. The people were so friendly, we had snow every winter, & the schools were wonderful. I started my college career in Sedalia, MO after our children started to school. I had taken some basic courses in Japan on base already just to get out of the way. I obtained a license in practical nursing while in MO. Started to work there as well. We then moved to Tuscaloosa, AL because my husband started working in the ROTC detachment. He was working on campus @ the University of Alabama (ROLL TIDE!) & I began working for the Veterans Hospital there. ( I actually had an interview scheduled on the day my mother died. Horrible day.) We lived in Tuscaloosa for approx. 4 yrs. before moving to Lexington, SC. My husband was working @ the campus in Columbia not too far from Lexington. I started to college there while I was working @ the VA Hospital in Columbia full time. I worked the evening shift & went to school full time too while raising teenagers. It wasn't easy by any means but well worth the effort in the end. I obtained an Associate Degree in Nursing & started working in a local hospital since the VA did not have an opening for an RN. Too bad because the benefits sure were great! Then came the time for my husband to retire from the Air Force. He wanted to retire in Grant so as to work @ Redstone Arsenal. Me & the kids did not want to move. They wanted to finish high school there in Lexington & the pay for RN's was fantastic compared to this area & I loved my job. Well, my husband won in the end. I guess it all worked out for the best. Not all of my family & relatives were dead before retiring here so I was able to spend time with my only surviving grandparent as well as my oldest sister before they died. Now my husband & I are raising our granddaughters & everything is great. I have 4 horses, several dogs, several cats, one spoiled guinea pig, & two donkeys. Don't think we have any m...(read more)