Rose Marie Cruz--E-I-E-I-O

The sleek and elegant creatures you see here are two goats who live at Rose Marie Cruz-Martin's Legend Farms in Bushnell, FL. You may remember Rose Marie for, among other things, being a star baton twirler at Northeast High. But before she and husband Ed Martin settled down in Bushnell to be "stewards of the Earth and goat shepherds", our classmate accumulated one achievement after another.

Here are some sample details: Owned "Twirlin' Spot Baton Academy" (for baton twirling instruction) in Florida and Texas for 15 years. Her students were state and national champions. She was featured in the National "Who's Who in Baton Twirling" for 8 years.

She started the Farm Tour Program, Equine Management and Caprine Management curriculum at Seminole Vo-Ed Center in Seminole, FL, where she taught for 8 years.

She was a 4-H organizational leader for 40+ years in Florida, Georgia, and Texas. She co-owned Ed Martin Plumbing Company in Pinellas Park and Largo for 35 years. She also owned Park Feed Store in Pinellas Park for 21 years. She was executive director of Pinellas County Fair, 1983-1986.

Three achievements she's proud of: Named "St. Petersburg's First Lady of Baton Twirling" by the Festival of States Committee. First elected woman president of the Pinellas Park Chamber of Commerce. Soroptimist "Woman of the Year".

Her memories of years at Northeast High include participating in the band, majorettes, working on the Viking Log yearbook, hot rods and motorcycles and "all the cool friends that I spent hours with on the weekends at the 28th Street Drive-In." Her favorite teachers were Band Director Eugene Beeman, and Coach Crum.

She and her husband have been parents to two sons and a daughter. They have two granddaughters.

If you see Rose Marie at the Reunion and you ask her, "So what have you done with yourself?" take a chair and prepare for a lot of details. She's done it all.