I ran into Mrs. Barbara Lynn Merry on Monday as she was on her way to lunch in the 1400s.

LR: Where did you grow up?

BM: All over the place. My dad was in the Navy so we lived in Florida, California, Texas, Rhode Island, and Illinois.

LR: What did you do for fun when you were in high school?

BM: I liked to read a lot… I had to baby sit my brothers and sisters so I didn’t have sports outlets or anything… I liked to sew. I used to make my own clothes.

LR: Where did you receive your education?

BM: Cornell University, Milbury, and the Sorbonne Institute in France.

LR: What inspired you to be a teacher?/ Did you always want to be a teacher?

BM: I kind of fell into it… I didn’t plan to be a teacher, I wanted to be a diplomat and deal with foreign relations… I’m fluent in French and when I began to teach that and Latin i found my passion.

LR: How did you end up at North?

BM: My husband worked in New York and we had been living in North Carolina. He lost his job, and the only one he could find was back in New York. For the past five or six years we’ve been living in separate states and now i finally moved back here to join him.

LR: What is your favorite type of music?

BM: I like all kinds of music. I’d say The Talking Heads are my favorite band, but other than that we listen to classical music, jazz; really a little bit of everything.

LR: Last but not least, are you a cat or a dog person?

BM: Both. I have a cat and two dogs. The cat’s more like a puppy. We’ve had several cats and we raise them very interactive.