Kay Berry
Hi! I’m Kay!
I spent my childhood playing outside with friends beneath the Wasatch Mountains in Utah. Skiing with my family or building forts outside helped me form a love for the outdoors. Many hours were also spent playing make-believe with my dolls and Barbies, and with the help of some of my grade school teachers, I started writing stories and poetry.
My dad was a shoe salesman covering many of the Western states, and my grandparents lived in Canada. Therefore, during the summer months, we could be found crammed in our station wagon playing car games as we traveled from town to town. My love for travel came from those times, and from two semesters during college. I studied abroad in London for six months where we were also privileged to travel all over Europe. These early experiences set me on a current course of exploring more countries and cultures.
After marrying my husband Rick, our family started to grow with three children, one of them being born with Down Syndrome. We entered into a new world, being advocates for those with disabilities.
I was able to serve on the Child Find Task Force committee and the Board of Developmental Disabilities under Utah Governor Norm Bangerter, 1988. Then served under a grant for one year for the Utah Parent Center, 1989. I was also a volunteer for Liaison for People Needing Coordinated Services (LINCS): a non-profit organization that assists families with children or adults with disabilities to understand all the benefits the state and federal programs have to offer. I helped to advocate for parents by attending Individual Education Plans (IEPs) and giving professional advice to parents for their children with special needs.
After years of trying for more children, we were blessed to adopt two children from Tonga. I started looking for books for them in which they could identify themselves but to no avail. Watching some beautiful Tongan dancers at the Polynesian Cultural Center, I asked my friends who spoke Tongan what the dance was about, and they told me it was a folktale.
That is when I began my research about Tongan folktales. After many years of putting it on hold, I finally realized that I needed this dream to happen.
6 Random Facts About Me:
- I play the piano, but I am scared to play in public.
- Later in life, I participated in community theater. I was in the ensemble in Jane Eyre, and I was Ms. Darbus in High School Musical.
- Running is my stress relief! I have completed over 28 marathons with two of them being the Boston Marathon and one 50K Endurance marathon.
- Where are Shuswap Indians from? My great great grandma was Mary Anna Tatqu, a Shuswap Indian from British Columbia, Canada, and I wish I could have known more about her.
- I have a love/hate relationship with cooking.
- I love cats!
Favorite hobby: Running- 28 marathons, 2 Boston
