When she was a child, Dr. Deidre Donaldson was simply known as “Deedy.” That nickname, like the simplicity of her youthful life in northwest Ohio, is many years behind her. While a successful career in pediatric psychology on the south shore of Massachusetts and the responsibilities of being a wife and mother of two have taken her “far from home,” Deidre has the fondest memories of her youth in Montpelier.
When I was selecting a subject for this month’s column, Deidre came to mind. When Barb and I moved to Montpelier in the late 1970’s we were friends with her parents and watched Deidre and her brother Steve grow up. Deidre also has a Leader Enterprise connection as her grandmother Milly Taylor was a longtime Leader employee, although she had retired before I came on the scene.
“My Grandma Milly did work at the Leader for many, many years,” explained Deidre. “I have memories of going to a couple of the old office locations and picking her up for lunch or checking in with her. I also had old Leader Enterprise stationery for doodling as a kid and used many a roll of newsprint for sign-making in cheerleading and art.”
Once she started sharing memories, they just started flowing: “ … watching the high school football team in the Class A state playoffs in 1973 … visiting my parents at work (Mohawk Tools, Inc. and the Post Office) … model airplane club with my father … Girl Scouts at the Presbyterian church … the St. Joe River Canoe Races … the sounds of the active rail yard and trains late at night … ice cream at Howe’s Restaurant (and the Dairy Queen prior to that) … Wermer’s Pet Shop … Trautman’s 5 and Dime… working as a lifeguard at the Montpelier Pool … the ‘new’ Superior Middle School.”
“I graduated from Montpelier High School in 1985. I had some of the same teachers as my mother and father! I have many positive memories of Montpelier. It has changed over the years, but it will always be my home. I have vivid memories of many, many experiences around the town.”
Like many of Montpelier’s best and brightest, all the joys of small town life were not enough to keep her here. On the advice of friend and fellow lifeguard Amy Meier, Deidre headed to Miami University for her first degree, then headed to Bowling Green State University (like many others from her family) where she earned both a Master’s Degree and a Doctor of Philosophy Degree in clinical psychology.
Ready to begin her career, Deidre headed to Massachusetts. “I always thought Ohio was a great state, yet I was eager to expand my horizons beyond those of Ohio. I think the fact that my parents had the opportunity to do so … and that I was born in Ireland … was always such a big part of my life early on.”
And in Massachusetts she has found considerable success in her career.
“For nearly 15 years, I have worked for May Institute as the Director of Pediatric Psychology Services. In that capacity, I have been contracted to a local community hospital setting on the south coast of Massachusetts to manage their outpatient pediatric specialty services. I oversaw the creation of that hospital program and have since acted as chair of the department which currently has about 30 staff members, several consulting physician specialists and annually serves approximately 2,000 children with special healthcare needs and their families. As part of my role, I supervise masters’ and doctoral level students write professionally and occasionally still see patients. My clinical interests include pediatric psychology (the application of behavioral principles in helping manage often complex medical and developmental issues), coping with medical disorders, family adjustment to illness, psycho-oncology, adolescent suicide, sleep problems, feeding disorders, and neurodevelopment.”
Still, Deidre knows how much her Montpelier roots have grounded her.
“Now that I have ‘grown up’ and reside elsewhere, I truly have great respect and pride for my upbringing. I grew up in a time and place where respectful behavior and personal relationships were important and nurtured within the community. I didn’t always understand the value of that growing up, but I have a deep appreciation and am thankful for those values today.”
Deidre and her husband Bob Paschke have two young children. They live about 18 miles from downtown Boston.
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