Roz Cook and T.J. Begush moved to University City in December, 2022, to help take care of Roz's parents. Roz grew up in the St. Louis area, but everything and everyone is totally new to T.J. He grew up in Atlanta and joined the military as soon as he graduated high school. T.J. spent the next dozen years bouncing around the country, but finally settled in Arizona, where Roz and he lived for 11 years. They made a lot of good friends fostering dogs for the Arizona Border Collie Rescue; in fact, they took more than 100 dogs into their home. And while they are not able to foster any animals right now, they are trying to get more involved with some animal rescue groups here in St. Louis. Their house has definitely often been furrier than most!
T.J. is a computer-fixer by trade and would be happy to help anybody with their computer problems, in exchange for some good conversation and maybe a cup of tea! While T.J. is a bit of a couch potato, Roz is pretty outdoorsy. She teaches biology and manages a STEM grant. She also volunteers her time at the World Bird Sanctuary in Valley Park, MO, where an offspring-less bald eagle named Murphy (who had been trying to hatch a rock) recently made the national news when he was given an injured orphaned baby eagle to adopt.
Because their former UU church in Arizona was pretty small (40 members), Roz and T.J. were very involved in committees and in just keeping the small space together. Both Roz and T.J. consider themselves lucky to have found their new church home so quickly and are looking forward to getting involved and to making friends here. Welcome Roz and T.J.