SETSHA Member Spotlight
May 2015
SHINE ON! The first edition.....
Sit back, grab your favorite beverage, and have fun getting to know a little bit more about some of our members! Who knows? You may be next......
SHINE ON BETH BYERS - currently serving on the board as SETSHA Past President
· Are you originally from the Golden Triangle area? If not, where did you grow up? Yes, I grew up in the Hamshire-Fannett area and currently live in Hamshire.
· Tell us about your family/pets. My husband, Tim, is a firefighter at Motiva. We have been married almost 8 years and we have 3 daughters, Emily (7), Ally (5), and Ella (3). We have an English Bulldog named Kramer and a hamster named Lloyd.
· What did you aspire to be as a child? A writer
· What was your first job? My first job was at David Self Ford in Winnie as a secretary, followed by a Sonic carhop.
· What is your current occupation/setting? Currently, I work part-time at Lamar and the Gulf Coast Co-Op.
· What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy date nights with my husband and teaching group fitness classes.
· What’s your favorite food and beverage? I LOVE mexican food and a good glass of red wine.
· Do you collect anything? Dust on my furniture, I'm not great at cleaning.
· What celebrity would you like to meet for coffee? Jennifer Aniston
· What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know?
Our 3 girls are adopted.
My sister in law is also an SLP. (and a member of SETSHA!).
My husband and I went on our first date when we were 16.
SHINE ON CAROL PETTIGREW - currently serving on the board as SETSHA President
- Are you originally from the Golden Triangle area? If not, where did you grow up? I was born and raised in Bartlesville, Oklahoma and attended Oklahoma State University for both my undergraduate and graduate studies. Prior to moving to Texas, I lived in beautiful Denver, Colorado for nine years with my family. As soon as we moved to the Golden Triangle, we knew that we were living among some of the friendliest, down-home people on earth. Thanks to everyone here for the warm welcome!
- Tell us about your family/pets. My husband Dennis is the chief clinical officer of Behavioral Health at Baptist Hospital, and our five year-old daughter Lily is our pride and joy! We enjoy traveling together, having family Yahtzee nights, enjoying the outdoors, and being with our extended family and friends.
- What did you aspire to be as a child? As a child, I felt like the world was my oyster. I imagined myself becoming a lawyer because I always held strong opinions about things and was passionate about my beliefs. I was sensitive about injustices that were happening around the world and in peoples’ lives around me. I always knew that I wanted to do good in society. My alternative was to be a professional tennis player, of course!
- What was your first job? My first job was at the neighborhood Taco Bell when I was sixteen. It was short-lived, but I stayed until I earned enough money to help pay for my first car.
- What is your current occupation/setting? Currently, I work at Baptist Hospitals of Southeast Texas as part of the stroke protocol team. After nearly ten years of working in a skilled nursing facility, the transition to an acute care hospital setting has been life-changing. The satisfaction and fulfillment that I feel working there is an incredible blessing. It’s been a beautiful season of learning to be courageous in trying something new, and the learning curve is steep; but thanks to my amazing team of colleagues and mentors, I am honored to be a part of something that makes me proud to be in the field of speech-language pathology. The learning will never stop, but that is the beauty of it all. It is like a breath of fresh air!
- What do you enjoy doing in your free time? I enjoy travelling the world with my family and friends. I aspire to visit at least one place every year of my life that I have never been to. I firmly believe that there is beauty in all places and cultures, and life is an exciting adventure to be had outside the comfort of my own home. I love getting lost in a good book, drinking good coffee with a friend, dining out, hosting gatherings in my home, watching sports, and above all else, spending time with my little family of three.
- What’s your favorite food and beverage? I love food too much to narrow it down, but if I had to pick one, I would say my mom’s homemade Vietnamese eggrolls are some of the best things that have ever happened to me. I have travelled to southeast Asia multiple times and eaten at hundreds of Vietnamese restaurants in the states but have never had anything that compares to what my mom can create. Living close to her now that I am here in the Golden Triangle spoils me! Without a doubt, I love a delicious cup of sweet, smooth, creamy, full-bodied coffee. I dream about good coffee and will drive almost anywhere to find a good cup.
- Do you collect anything? I collect books. One day, I will have a separate room in my home designated as my personal library, filled with books I have read or aspire to read. It will be stocked with good coffee. J Every room in my home is decorated with books.
- What celebrity would you like to meet for coffee? I would love to meet Bono.
- What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know? I’m a sports junkie. I love watching most sports on TV, and always stay up much later than my husband to watch a prime time Monday night NFL game. Going to a Super Bowl, grand slam tennis tournament, an NBA final, NCAA basketball championship, or any Olympics games would be a dream come true.
SHINE ON J.T. BECKMAN, Au.D. - SETSHA MEMBER
· Are you originally from the Golden Triangle area? If not, where did you grow up? I was born in New York, then lived in Missouri (pronounced Missourah), Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, and Texas. Moved here in 1981.
· Tell us about your family/pets. My wife Usha is from Malaysia. I have four children: John, Elsa, Ingrid, and Sonja. No pets except for those that are pet peeves.
· What did you aspire to be as a child? A symphony orchestra conductor, then a psychologist.
· What was your first job? Corn detasseling in the fields of central Kansas.
· What is your current occupation/setting? I have a private practice in Port Arthur.
· What do you enjoy doing in your free time? Reading, gardening, listening to symphonic music, walking, church work, visiting art museums.
· What’s your favorite food and beverage? Thai food is my favorite. Stout beer, good wine, ginger ale.
· Do you collect anything? I collect dust. Occasionally I collect my thoughts. Also elephants and Pez.
· What celebrity would you like to meet for coffee? William F. Buckley (deceased) or Charles Stanley.
· What’s a fun fact about you that not many people know? I didn’t know what audiology was before I chose it as my major.