Staff Profile
Congratulations to Donna Thomas, DU's Branch Manager, who led her City of Jacksonville team to victory in the First Coast Games rock climbing contest.
Q: Tell us a little bit about rock climbing, how you got started and why you enjoy it.
A: I enjoy rock climbing because it challenges me; it is a social activity; it gives me a whole body workout. It isn't repetitive and monotonous the way weight lifting or treadmills can be, and when the YMCA took over the climbing gym, it was a way to have a rock climbing experience year round, and in Jacksonville. My husband and I try to climb outside on real rock every few months, and that can be very exciting and take us to some very beautiful places. Before the rock gym opened here, we tried to find opportunities to go climbing outside, but it was hard to keep in shape and do it on a regular basis. I started at the South Metro gym in 2000 and discovered that it was a mode of exercise that I didn't have to force myself to do. I look forward to my "gym nights."
Q: How long have you worked for JPL?
A: Nine years this October.
Q: What is your hometown?
A: I was born in Iowa City, but grew up in Superior, Wisconsin.
Q: What are you reading?
A: Time Management from the Inside Out, by Julie Morgenstern; Skeletons, by Kate Wilhelm, and The Drunkards Walk: How Randomness Rules our Lives, by Leonard Mlodinow.
Q: Tell us a little bit about your family.
A: I have five sisters who all live in Minnesota and a brother who lives in Milwaukee, 12 nieces and nephews, and five great nieces and nephews. I have been married to Rory Sutton for 30 years (no children of my own.)
Q: Favorite movie?
A: The Young Einstein. This was an independent film about what would have happened if Einstein had grown up a surfer in New Zealand.
Q: What makes you laugh?
A: Word play, pompous people getting their comeuppance, long complicated jokes, just plain silliness.
Q: What’s something that people might be surprised to know about you?
A: I actually like to take standardized tests.
Q: What’s the best thing about Jacksonville Public Library?
A: It's a tie between being able to work with people who love books and ideas, and the fact that a lot of my job is just one giant scavenger hunt. (Send Item is my favorite part of the job.)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment