Artist Pam McCarthy with her paintings

Artist latest gig for Pam McCarthy

Pam McCarthy, a State Desk reporter in the 1970s before her 33-year teaching career and a myriad of post-“retirement” activities including district manager for Arbonne International, a skin and health products company, is trying her hand as an artist. Which explains her photo and the paintings she’s displaying at First Friday in Canton, a monthly blast in the downtown Canton art district.

So far she’s up to three paintings.

Pam’s first retirement was from North Canton Hoover High School, where she taught English and journalism, in 2008.

Up the road her husband, Ken Pakenham, was teaching English at the University of Akron. No bad grammar in that family.

Ken, from Belfast, Northern Ireland, and Pam were married in 1988 and have twins Michael and Kate.

Los Angeles attorney Bethany Marvin Stevens, daughter of Pam and former husband and former BJ photographer Tom Marvin, made Pam a grandmother when she gave birth to Jackson Marvin Stevens.

Pam's siblings are Karen Uber of Cuyahoga Falls, Kathy McCarthy of Cuyahoga Falls and Jerry McCarthy of Bradenton, Florida.