1. I’m a proud Navy brat…and a proud Californian! My father, George Shideler, served in the U.S. Navy for more than 20 years. That career took him around the globe, with his last posting on the West Coast. Just after his retirement, I was born in Corona, California. (I didn’t share the name of my birthplace widely during the height of the pandemic!)
2. I am the youngest of four children. My siblings were all named after family members, but my mother decided to name me after film star Janet Leigh. She did change the spelling, so I am Janet Lee. Shortly after I was born, a dear “second mother” gave me the nickname “Bug.” Over the years, I have been Jan Bug and Lee Bug, and, after I completed my Ph.D., Dr. Bug. One Siena friend, Kathy Renaud, calls me “Crazy French Lady.”
3. I’m the daughter of an immigrant. My parents met in Newfoundland (at the time, British territory), and my mother, Ruth Jones, immigrated to the U.S. after they married. I’m also an immigrant. When I was 12, we moved to a small town in Canada: Arnprior, Ontario. Besides the obvious adjustment—climate!—I had to abandon the language that I had grown up loving, Spanish, in order to study French. (I studied Spanish again later, along with taking a year of Russian.) Not surprisingly, my research focuses on the experiences of immigrants, namely French Canadians who left Canada to make the U.S. their home. It’s my passion but also the fulfillment of a promise I made to a passenger when I was a guide on bus tours. That gentleman, Victor Rivard, said to me “Someone has to tell our story”, and I promised that I would. I treasure his heritage and that of every Franco-American I have met since then.
4. Besides years in tourism, I also worked for the Ontario legislature in interparliamentary and public relations. I had the pleasure of meeting royalty when I was asked to give a tour of our provincial parliament to King Michael of Romania, his wife Queen Anne, and his eldest daughter Princess Margareta.
5. I am still a U.S. citizen, but I took on Canadian citizenship before I moved to NYS, making me a dual national. The Canadian in me is probably more apparent now that I am living back in the U.S. On any given day, I apologize multiple times for absolutely no reason, I always add “u” to words like “humour” and “favourite”, I know at least 7 people named “Gord”, and I can seamlessly weave “That person is Canadian” into just about any conversation.
6. I have always wanted to be a teacher. I took a couple of different paths along the way, but my heart has always brought me back to the classroom. Whether online or face-to-face, with my HEOP heroes (I’m proud to be an honorary Siena HEOP alum!!!) or my language learners or my former FYSERS, I love teaching! Oh, and speaking of love, I was a bridesmaid for a former student. I also joined the parents of another former student to walk her down the aisle. I think that I cried more than they did. (PS…Thanks to my adopted brother, Tom Callan, for taking a picture of me with some of my amazing students!)
7. I was so caught up enjoying my nieces and nephews and my students that my own personal love story took a little longer. I didn’t marry until I was, as we say in French, “d’un certain âge”. (That’s code for “old”!) I married my husband Ray just weeks before starting at Siena. Besides the joy that he brings to my life every day, my family has grown to include his wonderful daughter, Donna, and her husband. As if that weren’t enough, almost three years ago, my granddaughter Francesca, named for Saint Francis, arrived. Add “Mémère” to the list of names I go by!
8. Most people count themselves lucky to have one guardian angel, but here at Siena, I have three. I start each day in my office by looking at the religious icon plaques that were gifts from two of them—Fr. Dan Dwyer and Br. Brian Belanger. Then, I smile at a photo of my third guardian angel, Br. Ed Coughlin…gone from here but always in my heart.
9. During the pandemic, I became addicted to Peloton. I bicycle whenever I find time to do so. I especially love the scenic rides! Sometimes I select a destination because I’ve never been there. Other times, I peloton in California or Canada because I’m homesick. And still other times, I pedal my way through places that my friends love because doing so is a way of connecting with them. (During the break, I went to Japan in honour of my bud and office mate, Tim Cooper, and to France for ma chère amie, Nathalie Degroult.)
10. I cannot imagine doing anything other than teaching, but I do have another career that I dream of pursuing one day: lounge singer. I have already selected a stage name, but I welcome suggestions of songs for my repertoire. It’s my hope that my pal Tim Reno will take me on as a student. The only problem is that I have a terrible singing voice!
