Bill Jackline says psychology found him.
Bill Jackline sat at a table and said with a friendly smile, "In May of this year I will have spent 35 years working as a school psychologist in some way, shape or form. During those 35 years I've worked with all age groups from toddlers to adults and saw as many people as there are in some small towns that would equal together the whole population of the state of Washington."
In the early days Jackline had not expected to pursue a career in psychology. He said, "Psychology found me as a little bargain. I was persuaded to try it and liked it." He received his bachelor degree in West Virginia, his masters at the University of Pittsburgh where he studied vocational rehabilitation and did a lot of testing. At the University of West Virginia he gained his doctorate.
Back in Pittsburgh, closer to his family, Jackline worked as a psychologist at a major pediatric hospital that concentrates on the development and care of babies and children. From 1997 until now Jackline has worked as an independent practitioner and has done contract testing in school districts, counseling and has done evaluations for social security disability determination services.
Jackline and his wife Ronda Gretebeck moved to Spokane in November 1999. He said, "She's the reason we're here. She brought us from Pittsburgh to Spokane." Ronda works as a neonatal physician in Spokane. Her hours are long and irregular and she cares for babies that are in the neonatal intensive care units at both hospitals in downtown Spokane.
Bill Jackline brought the two of them to something else: Cougar Country. He said, "I know a lot of Cougar fans. When we came here my friends said, "There's a game between the Cougars and USC, you want to go?" Jackline couldn't pass that up. He said, "Since the year 2000 I've been a season ticket holder of two seats."
We don't want you to think Bill Jackline attends only football. His main job is taking care of things around the house. His mother taught Bill and his siblings to tackle many kinds of work around a home. He said his duties all end with the letter "N:" corkin,' shoppin,' bill payin,' cleanin,' etc. Each task is important and Jackline thinks that he does them well.
Jackline's ancestry is interesting. His grandparents came to the U.S. from Croatia, traversing the dreaded Ellis Island. He said, "My mother and father were the first generation of their families in America." He smiles, "I think Ronda and I will be here in Washington for a while."
We think so too Bill and Ronda Jackline. I can hear Cheney giving a big cheer right now.
Luella Dow is a Cheney-area author. She can be reached at [email protected].
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