PHILLIPS - HARDY FAMILY

by Joyce Hardy

Entry F335 from the History of Hooker County Nebraska
with permission of the Hooker County Historical Society

Robert and Joyce Hardy, October 1985.

Joyce Margaret Phillips Hardy was the
sixth-born child to Lynn and Joellen Phillips
on 1958. She attended the
Mullen Public Schools and was active in
scholastics, music, and athletics throughout
high school. Joyce was selected to Who's Who
among American High School Students and
Who's Who among Music Students in Amer-
ica. After graduating from high school in 1977
Joyce received a 4-year Board of Trustees
Scholarship to Chadron State College. Un-
dergraduate research in range analysis, vege-
tational distribution, and plant genetics
occupied much of her spare time in college.
Joyce was active in Beta Beta Beta (national
Biology honor society) and Cardinal Key
(national women's honor sorority). On Au-
gust 17, 1980 JOyce married Robert Hardy
of Alliance. She received her Bachelor of Arts
degree in biology and agriculture in 1981,
while Bob received his Bachelor of Arts
degree in earth sciences and biology. Johan-
nah Fern Hardy was born on 1982,
and a year later Joyce began a Master's of
Arts program at Chadron State College. Her
thesis research is a floristic survey of Banner
County, Nebraska, while her studies empha-
size floristic taxonomy and plant population
ecology. Additional research projects have
included vegetational analyses for the Na-
tional Monument, work on rare plants of
Nebraska and South Dakota, and horticultu-
ral cultivation of native High Plains plants.
In April of 1985 Bob and Joyce started Open
Road Auto Sales & Service, where Bob is
employed as manager and president. In the
summer of 1986 the American Rock Garden
Society published Rocky Mountain Alpines
which contains a chapter Joyce co-authored
entitled "Bounty of the Grasslands: The
Legacy of Claude A. Barr." On
1986 a son, James David Hardy, joined Bob,
Joyce and Johannah at their home in Cha-
dron where they live with and provide home
health care for the quadriplegic friend,
Robert Bowen.