Shaundar Elina Bradbury
Shaundar was born in Lake Havasu City, Arizona on August 30, 1980; for all you numerologists out there, that's twenty years and two days after her dad was born. The number two has always been significant in my life . . . Hmmmm! Shaundar is any parent's dream come true. She has made us very proud with her countless achievements, and she will always be our "little big girl."
Although she certainly has an adventurous side--and a silly side as well--we have always thought of her as the serious one. Even at a very young age, Shaundar seemed to have her eyes on a goal; she seemed concerted, focussed--on what, we could only guess. She did exceptionally well in school. Identified as gifted and talented in the first grade, Shaundar had a natural propensity for the arts and language; she excelled in other areas also, but it took more work, and she didn't seem to enjoy them as much. In the fifth grade, she began playing a musical instrument; she started on the trombone--largely, I think, at my urging, (I played the trombone in school as well). She loved to make music; it just fit as naturally as an old glove. Selected several years to receive the award for "Outstanding Musician"--including her senior year in high school, Shaundar was inspired to play throughout school, and she continues to play in college.
After graduating as one of the Top Ten of her class in 1998, Shaundar had to decide on one of numerous universities which had sent her offers. The door to the world was open to her, and she knew what she wanted. Not one to make rash decisions, Shaun searched and researched. Finally, she decided on the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. With its innovative, progressive and compelling curriculum, its high national ranking and its relatively small size, UPS had just what Shaundar was looking for. Always fascinated by the workings of the incredible human mind, Shaundar chose to pursue a degree in psychology with a desire to somehow combine her love of music with her intellectual interests. As it is a small, private university, UPS also carried a very high price tag! Shaundar knew that there would be no way that Kathy and I could afford to send her to the university of her dreams. Fortunately, her hard work, persistence and resourcefulness paid off for her; Shaun received enough scholarships and grants to virtually pay for her own degree! She has achieved notoriety at the University of Puget Sound, and is one semester from graduating with a degree in Psychology.
Jason Pankow entered Shaun's life--and our lives as well--when Shaun was a freshman in high school. The couple soon began dating and are currently engaged to be married. We love Jason just as we would our own son, and we are very proud to be accepting him as part of our family. Jason is a graduate of Gonzaga University in Spokane Washington and is another Havasu native--certainly one of our community's finest sons! To visit Jason's site and learn more about him, click here.
The following photos are primarily from Shaun's early years. There is no rhyme or reason to them--well almost none; I just thought I'd like to share them. I'll continue to add pictures in time.
click on images for full-size pics
