~~The Early Years~~

Growing up as an Army Brat (an affectionate term for kids whose dad or mom is in the military), Debby used to say, "If I haven't been someplace yesterday, I'm sure to go there tomorrow."  Born at Fort Meade, Maryland, Debby had moved three times by age six when she and her mother boarded a troop ship to reunite with her dad who had been assigned to Japan months earlier.  "The voyage lasted almost three weeks and was anything but plush," Debby recalls.  "My mom and I shared a tiny stateroom with another lady and her children.  The bathrooms were down the hall, and everyone got seasick.  But I was awed by the vast ocean and loved to watch the waves crash against the ship's haul."

In Japan, Debby's family lived in an oceanfront Japanese home with Mount Fujiyama's breathtaking snow-covered peak in the distance.  "It was like living a fairy tale," she says.  " I have wonderful memories of the beautiful country and its warm, friendly people."

Returning to the States when Debby was nine, the family lived in Arlington, VA.  Three years later, they moved to Carlisle Barracks, PA, and then on to Fort Belvoir, VA, the following year.  It was there that Debby graduated from Mount Vernon High School and headed to college at The Ohio State University in Columbus. 

As a child, Debby was a avid reader and loved to "publish" newspapers for the neighborhood children.  She wrote her first book at age ten about seven girls, aptly titled WE ARE SEVEN.  She also cataloged all her books into her own personal library and  taught school to anyone who would volunteer to be her student.  But in eighth grade, she discovered a love for science, and when it was time for college, she pursued a degree in medical technology at OSU.