Phone:  650-574-6301

Fax: 650-574-6324

Email: grantg@pacbell.net

Here I am with Fergie at the entrance to Milagra Ridge, my favorite place.  The barbed wire at the top of the fence is a artifact from the days when the Ridge was home to a Nike Missile base.  Today, the Ridge is a part of the Golden Gate National Recreation area and is open to visitors every day.

I began my career in education as a teacher of Mathematics and Science in Middle School in Massachusetts. After I moved to California in 1973, I took some programming and electronics classes at the College of San Mateo and became a software engineer programming avionics systems for a defense contractor. At that time, Assembly language was the language of choice for embedded systems. As part of my responsibilities as a  programmer, I learned to administer users and software on several different models of VAX computers.   I am very proud of being the first woman with the title of 'Engineer' at that company. 

I also worked for Control Data Corporation, a company that developed and manufactured mainframe and mini-computers. In the early 1980's at CDC, I worked on a project called the Consolidated Communications System.  CCS was actually an early version of a router so I learned about early line protocols and enabling computers to communicate.  After the downsizing of the defense industry, I returned to College of San Mateo to learn more about networking computers and in 1995, began teaching part-time at CSM. In 1997, I started teaching full-time.  I've also done volunteer work helping the network administrators in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. 

In 1991, during a Wildflower Walk at Milagra Ridge, I learned about the unique environment that surrounds my home.  I decided to help restore and maintain Milagra Ridge, so I became  a volunteer with the National Park Service.  When I'm not preparing for classes, studying for certification exams, working on my home network, or surfing the Internet, you will find me out at the Milagra Ridge section of the Golden Gate National Recreation Area where I am a Site Steward for the National Park Service. I help the NPS and the Site Stewardship team do habitat restoration for the endangered  Mission Blue butterfly, the San Bruno Elfin butterfly, and the endangered Red legged frog. Fergie, our first Scottish Terrier, used to help in the park by greeting visitors. Holly is following in Fergie's footsteps and will soon be letting all the animals in the park know that she is taking over Fergie's park responsibilities.