Dianne (Bordage) Gillis ’68
I was not only the first in my family to go to college, but I was also the first generation in America. My mom and dad moved here from Canada.
In high school, we could take either a college or business path; I chose business. About halfway through, I realized I didn’t want to stop learning about business, so I chose Bentley.
At the time it was a little unusual for women to go to college for accounting. My hometown paper even did a story; the headline was “Local Co-ed Goes Into Man’s Field.” I didn’t feel like a pioneer, though. A lot was happening in the ’60s. Women were starting to go into things other than nursing and teaching.
After college, John and I started working at the same company, a CPA firm that would become PwC. We got married that September and were the first husband and wife team there. Some traditional values from that generation had hung on, so after working for three years, I stayed home with our children. We had even planned ahead and chose our first house based on having one income. When the youngest started first grade, I started working part time. I still do.
Our education had a big impact at home: All our children went to college. We have two accountants, two nurses and one lawyer.
John Gillis ’68, MST ’77
My father drove an oil truck and my mother worked in a greenhouse. I wasn’t sure what to do after high school, but ended up taking classes at a small business school. Then I went into the Army for three years. Some of my friends were heading to college when they got out, and encouraged me to do the same. I wasn’t averse to that idea, but I didn’t think I’d make it — let’s just say I was not a good student in high school. I really busted my tail that first year and made Dean’s List. That gave me confidence I could do this. Coming from a blue-collar background, as many Bentley students did, it was a change to dress up for class as if I were going to an office. I took my exams in a suit and tie.
I ended up doing very well in college, and Dianne and I were both very involved students. Our experience definitely influenced our children. It was just assumed they’d go to college.
For my whole career, I ran a small CPA practice of my own while also working full time in public accounting; with five kids, we always had a need for that extra dollar. I still work part time and will for a few more years. It’s good for the mind.
Dianne and John were featured as “Trailblazers of the First Degree” in the spring 2019 issue of Bentley Magazine. Read the full story.