Instructional Systems for ESL and Composition

Biographical Sketch of Jim & Mary Kline

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Jim and Mary are both retired educators--Jim as Chair of the Humanities Division and Professor of English at Gainesville College (Georgia) and Mary as Coordinator of Veterans' Affairs at the same school. After retirement, Jim and Mary moved to Las Cruces, New Mexico where Jim extended his teaching career at Doña Ana Branch Community College of New Mexico State University for three years where he variously served as Developmental Studies English Coordinator, ESL Teacher, and Title III Multimedia and Multicultural Training Activity Coordinator. Following a brief interruption to work on his golf handicap, he now teaches part time at nearby University of Texas at El Paso.

Mary has devoted her post-retirement life to golf and grandchildren, two activities she shares with Jim. (She and Jim have eleven grandchildren, the first ten of whom are girls.) Mary can be found on the Las Cruces Country Club course four or five days a week when not in Mazatlán or visiting grandchildren. She has served a president of the Women's Golf Association and as a member of the Board of Directors.

Jim founded Instructional Systems in 1980 and Mary joined him in that enterprise several years later. This small publishing company, specializing in Developmental Studies English audio-tutorial instructional materials by direct mail, offered more than twenty titles which were purchased by hundreds of schools and colleges. Instructional Systems turned its attention to ESL and the Internet as a result of Jim's experiences at DABCC where he initiated the first for-credit ESL program highlighted by an "Electronic Classroom" funded by the Title III Grant of which he was a contributing author.

Both Klines enjoy traveling in Mexico and have fallen in love with Mazatlán, a medium-sized city on the Sea of Cortez opposite the tip of the Baja California peninsula. The climate is wonderful, the people are friendly, the seafood is delicious, and there is much to do, including many opportunities to practice Spanish.

The Klines and their friends the Parras, the Borundas, and the Gomezes own a number of weeks in various beachside condominiums (Marina El Cid, Pueblo Bonito, Luna Palace, El Moro Tower, Marina del Rey), and rent many of these to people from the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. Although Pueblo Bonito and Marina El Cid are five-star resorts in anybody's book, our favorite of place to stay is Marina del Rey, a small, quiet, low-rise resort on Escondido (Hidden) Beach, just north of the Gold Zone shopping and night life area. We have several penthouse and one bedroom units there, and enjoy their spaciousness and elegance. These condominiums were originally meant for year around occupancy, and were designed to be comfortable for extended stays. The room are all very large and there is a full kitchen with gas range and oven, refrigerator, microwave oven, and all of the dishes and utensils you would expect to find at home. The two level penthouse is one the fifth (top) floor and has two bedroom, two baths, a Jacuzzi on the roof top patio, and spectacular views of the ocean and beach. The one bedroom, one bath condo has a great balcony view also.

We invite you to visit our Mazatlán website at http://www.mazatlanbeachcondos.com where we rent condos on the beach. Thanks,