Classmate Update: Lee Ann Heaton Fuller

After graduating from John Carroll, Lee Ann Heaton Fuller attended Emory and Henry College in Virginia, where she also met her future husband, John. She graduated in 2001 with a degree in mathematics and economics.

 

Lee Ann and John got married after graduation and subsequently moved back to Birmingham, where Lee Ann became a math teacher at John Carroll. In 2003 she earned a master’s from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Lee Ann is now the chair of the JCHS math department, and she and John have two children: Anna Grace, 11, and Joseph, 8. Their kids attend Our Lady of Sorrows, where they are very active in sports and other activities. John is also a teacher and he taught at John Carroll for six years.

In these graduation photos, Lee Ann is posed with a few of her students from the John Carroll Class of 2017 -- including Jacob Ford, Kristie Heard Ford's oldest son.

Classmate Update: Ginny Heaton McMillian

When Ginny Heaton McMillian left John Carroll for Missouri in 1997 she never planned to live in Birmingham again. She earned a degree in science from the University of Missouri-Rolla, but decided she needed a job that made a more immediate impact so; she got a master’s in counseling from St. Louis University in 2004, and planned to become a high school counselor. Ginny said her decision to pursue counseling was because of the influence Nancy Harley had on her at JCHS.

 

Ginny got married, lived in St. Louis and had a baby. Needing to be near family, she gave in and moved back to Birmingham. Still never planning to work anywhere near family or John Carroll, she worked for four years as a school counselor. Then life shifted and she needed a job. Her twin sister Lee Ann said, “Well there’s this job opening at John Carroll, but no one would ever want to do that.” (All the while Lee Ann had been teaching there in Mr. Dunsmore’s classroom since 2001).

 

In 2009 Ginny started the new Academic Counseling program at John Carroll. She now works with students who have diagnoses that require a small amount of accommodation to be successful. In the eight years that she’s been at JCHS, she’s helped teachers, and the diocese, understand different learners, and she has helped bring accommodations and learning support to Catholic schools.

 

While working at John Carroll, Ginny met her current husband, Chris. Blending their families together, Ginny, Chris and their kids – Amelia, 12, Sienna, 10, Aria 15, Kendrick, 12, and Elijah, 9 – became another Brady Bunch. Ginny and Chris then completed their family by adding a baby of their own, Jayden, 2.

Classmate Update: Claire Rumore

After graduating from John Carroll, Claire Rumore attended Auburn University which took her to Kathmandu, Nepal in early 1999, where she studied medical anthropology. She then studied sexuality, gender & identity in Amsterdam on a Morris K. Udall scholarship in late 1999. For three months in 2000, Claire studied Spanish on a Rotary International Ambassadorial Scholarship in Costa Rica. Claire ultimately graduated from Auburn in 2001 with dual degrees in sociology and Spanish, and a minor in women’s studies.

 

After graduation, Claire moved back to Birmingham and started an environmentally-friendly house cleaning company, which she ran for four years. She also became a Feng Shui practitioner and had a private practice during that same era. In 2005 Claire moved to the San Francisco Bay Area. While living in California she became trained in life coaching, somatic psychotherapy, non-violent communication, and relationship counseling, which she used to develop a coaching/counseling practice focused on relationships and sexuality with a Tantric Buddhist focus.

 

She was married to an Italian man for nine years and has dual citizenship.

Claire speaks three languages – English, Spanish and Brazilian Portuguese – and has traveled to more than 40 countries. In her free time, she enjoys traveling, blues dancing, yoga, personal development and spiritual studies.

Classmate Update: Kristie Heard Ford

After graduating from John Carroll, Kristie Heard Ford started her college career at Bellarmine University in Louisville, KY, where she also met her future husband, Matt. Kristie moved home after a year away and finished at the University of Alabama at Birmingham. She graduated with a degree in psychology in 2001, and soon after, she and Matt got married. She then began a hodgepodge of jobs – from PE teacher to church secretary – while adding to their family.

 

After their third child, she finally decided what she wanted to be when she grew up:  a speech-language pathologist. She earned her master’s in Speech-Language Pathology from the University of Montevallo in 2009, and she practiced in both the school and hospital environments, before finding her dream job, working with children with Autism and other developmental delays, at the UAB Civitan Sparks Clinics, where she has worked since 2011.

 

In addition to her working mom duties, Kristie is actively involved at Our Lady of the Valley Church, where she serves as the youth athletic director and coaches volleyball through the Toy Bowl league.

 

Although she doesn’t travel much – other than trips to the gulf or visiting family in Kentucky – Kristie stays busy chauffeuring her five boys – Jacob, 18, Owen, 14, Isaac, 12, Kieran, 8, and Asher, 3 – around to various activities throughout the city. Kristie and Matt are excited that although their oldest son will be leaving the nest for Auburn University in August, they will be filling his spot with their newest addition in November. Kristie said she can’t wait to see everyone in a few weeks!

Classmate Update: Michelle Henderson Gordon

After graduating from John Carroll, Michelle attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she met her future husband, Patrick. Michelle graduated from UAB with a degree in Marketing and Patrick became an attorney in the U.S. Army. They got married in 2002 and have three children:  Lauren, 10, Nicholas, 7, and Zachery, 6.

In 2005 Michelle was accepted into the Department of the Army Public Affairs Internship Program. She graduated from the program a year later, and has served as a civilian Public Affairs Officer for the past 11 years. 

Throughout her career Michelle has worked at four different military installations as a PAO. She is the installation liaison for local and national media outlets, serves as a writer/editor for military publications, and is the administrator for several military social media platforms. Patrick is now an Army Major stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Michelle recently accepted a position as a PAO with the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General in Alexandria, Virginia. As a military family the Gordons have moved six times in the past 15 years and Patrick has deployed to both Iraq and Afghanistan. In her free time Michelle enjoys photography, party planning, and exploring our nation’s capital.

Classmate Update: James Drysdale

After graduating from John Carroll, James attended college at Birmingham-Southern College, where he met his wife, Peyton. He travelled and even spent a semester abroad in France. Then, he moved to Chicago to attend law school at DePaul University. While in law school, James clerked for a Federal Administrative Law Judge in Washington, D.C., the Vice Chairman of the Board of Veterans’ Appeals. After graduating and passing the bar, he moved to D.C. to work for the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the General Counsel. Since 2008, he’s represented the Secretary of Veterans Affairs in matters pending before the U.S. Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims. James was admitted to the bar of that court, as well as the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit, and the U.S. Supreme Court.

 

James and Peyton now reside in Knoxville, Tennessee. He continues to work in D.C., but he works remotely most of the time and returns to D.C. as needed – usually for court. Peyton is a stained glass artist and together they have three kids – Quinn, who is almost 7 and will be in first grade in the fall, Duncan, 5, and Clara, almost 3. James said that since his wife is from Tennessee and his kids are growing up in Knoxville, they are all Tennessee Vols sports fans, which he tries not to hold against them, too much.

 

Work and kids keep him busy, but James said he plays tennis on a regular basis. He also enjoys doing yard work and he’s been trying to perfect his landscaping for several years, with varying degrees of success.

Classmate Update: Libby Vaughn Laws

After graduating from John Carroll, Libby attended Auburn University, where she earned her degree in Fashion Merchandising and Design.

 

In 2001 she graduated from Auburn and moved to Nashville, Tenn. Libby fell in love with both the city and her future husband, Chris Laws. Libby and Chris got married in 2009 and they currently live in Nashville with their Pug, Mocha.

Chris owns Harpeth Springs Pool Company and Libby works as a Specialty Pharmaceutical Rep. Together they enjoy traveling, hosting parties, working out, cooking and Auburn football. Libby said as one of the “non-Facebookers," she can’t wait to see everyone at the reunion!