Saachan Julia Sachiyo Yamaoka Thorn

Born in 1952, I was re-born in August 1997 with Bogue Banks Baptist as my church family. After Stanford, I taught English, ELA electives, speech and debate, in five states, on two continents, in two languages. LWV chose me as a Distinguished Woman in Education. NC Dept of Instruction, Carteret Public Schools teachers and judges chose me as Teacher of the Year for NC’s Southeast Regional Finals. The NC DSS chose me as Medicaid Caseworker of the Year. Rotary International has given me the Paul Harris Award and the Paul Harris Diamond for outstanding contributions to the community, its highest recognition. The All-Marines (both officer and enlisted spouses) Wives Club elected me President, and as part of my leadership initiative, I taught my members Women’s Self-Defense, and I led the MIA-POW Red Ribbon-Red Badge of Courage campaign in Washington State. As a Domestic Violence survivor, I was the public speaker at the civic center’s fundraiser and the Big Rock Festival HQ.

I am the 2024 North Carolina Retired School Personnel (NCRSP) Volunteer of the Year, three-time NCRSP Region 7B Volunteer of the Year, and Carteret County RSP (CCRSP) Member of the Year, and I serve as president of CCRSP (2022-2024) and Delta Kappa Gamma Key Women Educators (2018-2020 and now again in 2023-2024), DKG state communications team member, and newly elected NCRSP State Secretary.

Northwestern University chose me as one of ten speech and debate teachers nationally for its Graduate Speech Fellowship. I brought competitive student congress to Hawaii in 1977. I began a speech and debate team from the ground up in the lowest-wealth school in my district in 1997 and made students into champions with district, state, and two national titles, 1997-2016. I am the National Forensic League two-time Diamond Coach. The National Forensic League gave me the Distinguished Service Award (as one of 278 coaches since 1925 to be so honored).

In March 2024, the NCRSP elected me as state secretary. My goals are to improve communications in our struggle for North Carolina public education and the quality of life of the men and women who delivered that education. So far, this year I’ve given NCRSP its first navigable, timely website at a cost of $12 a year, their first statewide NCRSP choir in decades, their first modern imagery for a state convention, their first self-defense workshop, and I’ve just been sworn in! Despite challenges to getting ‘innovations’ accepted, I want to provide school retirees transparency of leadership decisions and access to key data given the turbulent times in my state for education and educators.

My beautiful daughter Courtney Brown has become a professional cellist and massage therapist. Courtney lives in Washington State with her lovely daughter Riley Gardner.

My miracle in life is reconnecting with my high school sweetheart and first debate partner and first kiss, Michael Thorn, a principal technical writer for a Santa Barbara software company. After high school, Mike went to UCLA and we didn't see each other again until 2016. Mike relocated to North Carolina to marry me, enduring great culture shock.

We are ridiculously happily ever after together with our rescue cat MauMau. Fairy tales do come true.

https://www.carteretcountyrsp.org/officers/presidents-resume

As part of a state-level leadership team for an organization that is struggling for public education and the quality of life of the men and women who gave that education to North Carolina, I am on fire to unite all our voices from Asheville to Kitty Hawk so that lawmakers will do the right thing for the right reasons. Although not unlike a kaleidoscope, my worldview has underpinnings in the Great Commission, Hoover Tower values, and the precedence of history. Courses of action spring to mind from the lessons and love given to me by my teachers, mentors, church, family, friends, and colleagues.

Now with age and mileage on me, I visualize short-term and long-term solutions for the groups I lead. The strangest thing ever is that at age 72, I find myself optimistic and driven to accomplish tasks I never imagined possible when I was young. Surviving Cancer and Domestic Abuse may have motivated me with these second chances. Nevertheless, did I ever think I could make websites for worthwhile organizations at a cost of $12 a year? Did I ever think I could cover a dozen agenda items within 90 minutes and still keep a group engaged? Did I ever think I could handle significant roles and tasks for three groups during a 'retirement' day? Did I ever think I would have the most volunteer hours of those in a statewide organization? Did I ever think that public speaking would become a tool rather than terror?

Did I ever think I would be on the stage at Carnegie Hall!?

The best surprise is probably the cause of all this energy: Did I ever think that I would re-discover the love of my life in my old age? Love, support, and complete surrender and trust of my high school sweetheart Mike Thorn changed and charged my life in ways I never imagined possible. My beloved husband gives me Cherish Is a Word, makes me Happy Together, is my Bridge Over Troubled Waters, shows me how to thrive not just I Will Survive, helps me Imagine, makes me Helplessly Devoted, answers my question Do You Think I'm Sexy?, treats me like his Black Magic Woman, gives me Night Fever, helps me escape Hotel California, and emboldens me to Don't Stop 'Til You Get Enough.