As a shy girl growing up ,Delana Pence got a lot of teasing from other children. Her unusual first name didn't help matters. "People would mispronounce it or make fun of it," said Pence. "I asked myself why my parents named me this. Why couldn't I be a Cindy or a Rhonda?" Life got easier in junior high school when someone - Pence can't remember who - stared calling her Dee, and the nickname stuck. "I have been called Dee ever since, except by my family, who has always called me Delena." In time, Pence came to terms with her name. "It's pretty name, but it took me all these years to struggle with it and figure that out," she said.