
DATE: Sunday, November 2, 1997              TAG: 9711010089

SECTION: DAILY BREAK             PAGE: E1   EDITION: FINAL 

SOURCE: Holly A. Heyser, staff writer 

                                            LENGTH:  115 lines

CORRECTION/CLARIFICATION: * Megan Carroll Beyer is the wife of Democrat Donald S. Beyer Jr.; his first name was incorrect in a photo caption with profiles of the gubernatorial candidates' wives in Sunday's Daily Break. Also, the first name of Roxane Gatling Gilmore was spelled wrong; she is the wife of Republican candidate James S. Gilmore III. Correction published, Tuesday November 4, 1997, p.A2 * ROXANNE GATLING GILMORE, 43 PROFILES: THE WOMEN BEHIND THE GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATES

When you cast your vote Tuesday, you're not just putting a new governor in office - you're putting a new first lady in the Governor's Mansion as well. Read about the wives of Democratic candidate Donald S. Beyer and Republican candidate James S. Gilmore III.

Tell me a little bit about your life.

I was born and raised in Suffolk. I graduated from Suffolk High School, then went to the University of Virginia. I've got a bachelor's degree in classic history and anthropology.

I met Jim when I was there, and we dated while he was in law school. We married then (in 1977), and I continued my graduate studies after we married. I have a master's degree in ancient history, and I still have my dissertation to complete for my Ph.D. (also in ancient history).

Over the last couple years I've gotten my certification for teaching secondary school - I teach Latin and foreign language exploratory. I'm currently on the faculty of Randolph-Macon College (in Ashland).

What are your goals?

At this point in my life, my primary goal is to make sure my children grow up and are successful, that they get the education they need in order to be happy and prosperous in their adult lives. That's my primary goal right now.

I try to be as supportive of Jim's career as I can, but we have a good partnership because he's very supportive of my career as well. He recognizes teaching is very important to me.

At some point, I plan to finish my dissertation. It's something I want to pursue for my own personal fulfillment - I don't like to leave anything unfinished. But I think it would open different avenues for me to continue in my career later on.

Tell me about your relationship with your husband.

We support each other. We're each aware of the other's goals and needs. We just celebrated our 20th anniversary. . . . Jim's always been supportive of my teaching and my school and my continuing education.

He's played the role of father and mother when I've traveled abroad. When (former deputy attorney general) Catherine Hammond was interviewing for the job, she and Jim spent a lot of time talking about finding children's shoes before you go to work.

What do you like best about your husband?

We share a lot of common interests. We both like to read. We both like to do things with our children. He's very caring. Those are the things that are really the most important.

What is the ideal role for the first lady of Virginia?

A first lady needs to be like the governor should be: attentive to the community. I don't think her position gets her anything more than anybody else in Virginia has. She can be a voice for parents. She can be a voice for the community. And if she is a good listener, then she can help those that perhaps wouldn't have a voice get their concerns known and raise them to a level of consciousness where they can be addressed in a proper fashion.

How, if at all, would you use the position if your husband is elected governor?

Up until this point, we've really focused on the election. I expect education to be a central part of what I do - I want to continue teaching. I think as a participant in education, I have a lot of hands-on experience. I've been in the classroom. I've taught in overcrowded classrooms. I really do believe that I have a certain expertise through my experience that I could use to help education.

How would you feel about being the first first lady - at least in modern history - to keep her job after her husband is elected?

I'm not particularly interested in firsts. . . . I'm a teacher and I love teaching, and education is the key to success everywhere. My mother was a teacher. My sister and brother-in-law are teachers. My aunt for whom I was named was a teacher. My grandmother was a teacher. It's important to me.

What are you hearing on the campaign trail?

The most interesting thing is the reaction to ``no car tax.'' It's seldom when you're campaigning that you have individuals come up to you and say, ``Wow, your husband wants to eliminate the car tax.'' It's an issue that was very early on identified with him. It was very heartily received.

I think by and large, the two areas that you hear the most about are tax relief and education. Those are very high on the list of what Virginians are thinking about. It's pretty striking as you travel and see the diversity in Virginia - the people live differently, they talk differently and they have different educations, but their concerns are similar. They want to be able to provide for their families and get a good education for their children.

Your son Jay gave up private education this year to attend the public Mills Godwin High School in Henrico County. What has that experience been like?

It has been a very rewarding experience for Jay. This is a decision we thought about and discussed for a long time and that we've done for Jay's benefit. He actually is the one who made the final decision. We said, ``Jay, whatever you're comfortable with, we'll support you.''

And he has, I think, benefited from the variety that he's seen. He's participating on the football team - he's starting center. He's managing in a much larger environment - there's about 2,000 students at the high school.

What has the experience taught you about the needs of public schools?

Smaller classrooms in elementary schools really were a reason for us (to choose private schools). . . . What I really believe Jim wants to address as governor is making sure public schools do address the needs of everyone in the community, that class sizes are small, that (teachers) have the ability to teach every child in their class, not just a few. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo

LAWRENCE JACKSON/The Virginian-Pilot

Roxanne Gilmore helps son Ashton, 10... KEYWORDS: PROFILE BIOGRAPHY ELECTION VIRGINIA

GUBERNATORIAL RACE VIRGINIA CANDIDATES' WIVES

INTERVIE

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