Lynda Rae Shurtz Grauso

Profile Updated: August 16, 2016
Class of 1966
Currently residing In La Verne, CA USA
My Website & Facebook/Media facebook.com/lynda.grauso
Spouse/Partner Tony Grauso
Children, Grandchildren Got a bunch! 4 sons: Raphael & Christopher (twins) 1970, Micah 1972, and Geoffrey 1974. 7 grandkids: More…Emily, Carly, Chance, Hannah, Nico, Ethan and Lauren (twins). Being a grandma ( "Nannie" is my grandma name) is the greatest!
Occupation Title Registered Nurse; college professor of nursing
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Occupation(s), Career Details

I've been an RN since 1971 (PCC). I have a BSN from Univ. of Phoenix in 1988, and an MHA from Univ. of La Verne in 1996. My nursing career has been primarily spent in Maternal-Child health, mostly in Labor & Delivery. In 1996 I started teaching nursing, and have been prof of nursing at Citrus College in Glendora since 1999. I also teach a bit--when time allows--with UOP.
I never imagined that I'd one day be a teacher. Helping my kids with homework was the pits. I even remember saying out loud once, "I could NEVER be a teacher!" It seems that it's a bit easier when the students aren't your own kids.
My claim to fame as a professor is that I'm known as "the rapping professor." I write & perform raps that are designed to be study guides. The fact that I have NO singing ability--and only minimal rhythm--actually seems to help make the performance even more fun. The students love to see their old prof rapping and "dancing" to hip hop music. Funny how they think someone my age should have no music appreciation and limited ability to groove to the tune!
On the first day of class I try to prepare them for the reality that some of them will not pass a class, but quickly tell them that they can survive it. To do this I share with them that I really do understand the stress and frustration and shame of failing a class because I, too, have failed (but look at me now!). I tell them how when I first went away to college (to that party school San Diego State) I ended up dropping out and consequently had a GPA of 0.75 which I had to overcome and build back up before I could enter the nursing program at PCC. Thanks to the sage advice of a counselor I pulled up my GPA and entered the nursing program.
My husband Tony is retired from the US Postal Service, then went into teaching. He taught full time for 3 years, then has worked as a substitute since 1999. He's still subbing today (2016).

Different places I have lived

When we got married in 1969 we lived in Pasadena until 1972 when we bought our first home in Arcadia. We stayed in Arcadia until 1980 when we bought our current home in La Verne. We like to think that we actually live in Hawaii when we make our pilgrimage to Maui for a month each year during summer vacation.

Family history living in South Pasadena

My parents moved to California from Ohio in 1955 because they heard that there were great educational opportunities here. They initially rented a house across "the bridge" in Highland Park because it was close to where they worked in downtown LA. They told the realtor that they didn't know exactly where they wanted to buy, but they wanted the best schools possible. The realtor recommended SoPas, so they traveled across the bridge and bought a house on Monterey Road. The realtor was sure right! I've always said that I learned all of the basic skills needed for life at SoPas.
In 1963 we moved around the corner, but still on Monterey Rd. I went to Lincoln School (now Arroyo Vista). We stayed there until my Dad died in 1968. When Mom sold that house she rented an apt on Mission, and stayed there till she got kicked out because my sister Beverly (class of 1968) threw some kind of wild party when Mom was out of town. By that time I was living in the nursing dorm at Huntington Hospital.
Mom then bought a house on Floral Park Terrace, near Billy Simpson & Betty Milsaps, and backing up to Shirley Hutchison. She stayed there until 1976 when she remarried & moved to Vegas. She wanted to sell the house to Tony & I (we actually could have afforded it back then!) but Tony thought at least 1 of our 4 boys would surely drown in the pool, so we didn't but it. By the time we thought our boys would be safe with a pool, SoPas was priced past our means. Sadly, once you leave SoPas it is often financially impossible to get back in. We've been in the same house in La Verne since 1980 (36 years).

Family members who also went to SPHS

My only sister Bev was in the class of 1968. She was a flag girl. For a while Tony did a lot of sub work at SoPas, both the junior and senior high schools. Eventually he decided the traffic made it not a good choice, so he subs in Upland, Glendora, and Chaffey instead.

Pastimes & Hobbies

Tony and I initially started square dancing in the 1970s but quickly had to give it up because of the demands of raising 4 kids. We took up square dancing again in 2004 and are still very involved with it. Square dancing reunited me with Roy Hamburg Stevenson. We ran into each other at a dance where he was the "caller". We are lucky to see Roy and his lovely wife Maxine many times a year.

We discovered Hawaii in 1983 and we were instantly hooked. We have gone every year since then except for 2 years that we missed. Our favorite island is Maui. We've stayed at the same condo complex continuously since 1984. As you may be noticing (if you've gotten this far in my profile) that we don't make too many changes. We find a place we like, and we stay there.

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Aug 16, 2016 at 1:13 PM

Our 50-year reunion was a blast. Much thanks to the dedicated people who put the whole thing together. Mahalo was we say in Hawaii.

Aug 16, 2016 at 1:11 PM
Lynda Rae Shurtz Grauso added a photo to profile gallery.
Aug 16, 2016 at 12:52 PM
Lynda Rae Shurtz Grauso added a photo to profile gallery.
Aug 16, 2016 at 12:44 PM
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Posted: Aug 16, 2016 at 12:44 PM