I am a native Texan, born 4 February 1946 and raised in Houston, Texas.  Being an only child, I have loved being around others and enjoying the time shared.

My mother’s side of the family is also from Houston with her family immigrating to Texas hundreds of years ago.  Unfortunately, little is known, but hopefully one day that will be corrected.  My father was born in Oklahoma but ended up in Houston at a young age.  My parents met at Jeff Davis High School in Houston and married in 1944.  Texas is my home, my roots, and where I want to be.

I enjoyed a wonderful childhood, experienced many teenage challenges, went to college, married, went back to college, had one son, Shawn, and then continued my life in education for 45 years, while enjoying my family, friends, and my life as wife, mother, and teacher.

My career has been 45 years in the field of education.  I went to Houston Baptist University, now named Houston Christian University from 1964-1968 and graduated in the second class.  I majored in Kinesiology (Physical Education) and English.  My first teaching job was in Aldine ISD at Stovall Junior High.  I was an eager teacher that sponsored the cheerleaders, started a sports pep squad for the school, chaired the physical education department, and organized the women’s sports for Stovall Junior High.  At this time there were no girl/women sports teams.  The junior highs in the district and surrounding areas were interested in playing games competitively.  I began to take my players to other schools for competition in basketball and volleyball for three years.  The students really enjoyed the new activities. When the students left junior high and went to high school, their parents and the girls petitioned for sports for women in the high schools.  This was the beginning of women’s sports competition being added to Aldine ISD.

Afterwards, I was recruited to start the new drill/dance team at the new Eisenhower High School.  It was another amazing experience for me and the team.  They performed at football, and basketball games for several years.  It was another opportunity that allowed me to grow as an educator and a person.

Doing new activities, planning events, developing new programs and being involved has always been important to me and rewarding.

I have continued being assertive and trying to create an atmosphere for students that is engaging, creative, and a learning experience. I always was looking for a new challenge or opportunity and when I found one, I usually would pursue it.  I have taught in Spring Branch ISD as a drill team director, English teacher, and a coach for several sports. I’ve also taught at Houston Christian (Baptist) University for 17 years starting the women’s volleyball program, teaching, and organizing the Kinesiology Department.  It was a challenging opportunity for me but extremely rewarding because I saw the department grow from 25 majors to over 100 majors.  I grew as an individual, a professor, and saw many students embark on their career as a teacher, coach, and athlete.

I remained in the profession of education for 45 years which went by so quickly.  I grew as a person and watched so many others develop their skills as well.  Because of my tenured involvement in education, I continue to strive for new challenges and ways I can enrich the lives of those around me.  When we moved to Fort Worth from Houston, Texas I was at a loss as to how I would involve myself in the community.  Fortunately, the Fort Worth Junior League was having recruitment and accepted my application.  It has been such a pleasure to work with the Junior League to make life better for those who need assistance.  Being a volunteer has given me a great deal of enjoyment and pleasure.

I hope to continue doing this for years to come.  Being a senior member of the Junior League is an opportunity for me to show others that there is always a way to make a difference and have fun at the same time.