Spotlight on Sierra Madre Volunteers 

Spotlight on Sierra Madre Volunteers is a weekly column that spotlights the people who donate their time to help keep their city ticking.  Check each week to see which of the folks you work side by side with is being recognized in the latest edition.  Click the photo to enlarge it.

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Deb Sheridan -- Soccer Etc. Mom 

It's no wonder the Sheridan offspring are good athletes. Mother Deb Sheridan (click photo to enlarge) started the ball rolling, so to speak. She coordinated a soccer team consisting of women her age, who play much younger teams, with son Brian as coach. Now she runs her tennis group at Sholl Canyon near Glendale where the players have seven courts on a weekly basis.    

Before that, 21 years ago when the Sheridans moved to Sierra Madre, Debbie refereed and coached in the soccer league, AYSO (composed of Arcadia, Monrovia and Sierra Madre kids). She supported Little League, coached softball and ran the snack bar for softball. And when needed, Debbie drove the LaSalle bus to get the athletes back and forth to where they were playing.

For awhile, the Sheridans' three children were in three different schools. Then they all matriculated to LaSalle High School and Deb was on the Parents' Board, doing publicity.

Right now Debbie is Deputy City Clerk for Sierra Madre and will be recording secretary this fall for Civic Club. She's also on the Art Review Board and the SM3TV Committee. Additionally, she served as Mayor MaryAnn MacGillivray's campaign manager in the last City Council election.

How does she do it all and work at the same time? "Somebody has to do it."

Deb was born and raised in Crystal Lake, Ill., 50 miles northwest of Chicago. She went to the University of Colorado, spent time in France and got her MBA in marketing from Loyola in Chicago. Her psychology degree is from the University of Illinois.

She and her husband, Tom, were married 40 years ago. Tom works for a credit card clearinghouse. Since moving to Sierra Madre she works part-time in social research for the University of Michigan. One study she does is for the National Science Foundation while the other survey is called the National Survey of Family Growth. That info goes to the Dept. of Health and Human Services and is widely studied by government agencies, academic researchers and others.

Son Brian is Director of Development of Heritage Museum, and is married to Angie.

Becky has her Masters from Loyola in Chicago and works for the Center for Social Research, which is affiliated with the University of Massachusetts. Her husband is Dave Crow.

Dan teaches history at LaSalle High School and is soccer coach there. He's also assistant soccer coach for Pomona Pitzer College and is getting his Master's Degree.

Debbie concluded, "John Kennedy was my hero. I've grown up believing you have to give back. We have to do what we can for this wonderful town."