Four States Living Magazine August 2020

ON THE COVER - AUGUST 2020

World-renowned virologist and Texas A&M University-Texarkana Biology Department chair, Dr. Ben Neuman, helped name COVID-19 and is assisting a group of physicists at TAMU to create more useful tests and vaccines for the virus. He credits his wife with keeping things running here in Texarkana and always looks forward to spending the weekends with Nicola and their children, Isaac and Theia.

See Ask Dr. Ben on page 8.

INSIDE

Model Joe Pennington turns the heads of many with his modern day James Dean semblance. beginning on page 62 FEATURE STORIES

He Leads, They Will Follow

ALSO

The Way I See It...

PUBLISHER’S LETTER

Robin Rogers, Ed.D.

“When you learn, teach; when you get, give.” – Maya Angelou

If you get in your car and head east for about 30 miles on Hwy. 82, you’ll run into Stamps, Arkansas, a small town that served as the childhood home for Maya Angelou. She lived there with her grandmother, who owned a general store that sold basic necessities; unlike many who suffered during World War II, Maya’s grandmother had worked hard and invested well. Most of Maya’s education came from her grandmother. If you don’t know who Maya Angelou was, look her up, read her books, discover her poetry, watch her recorded speeches. She was a force of nature who succeeded in life and left an incredible legacy against most odds. Throughout her life, Angelou gave credit to her grandmother for her favorite sayings; the quote above is an example.

As a mother, I know so many of my “lessons” to Ellen, Emily, and Briley go in one ear and out the other, but as I observe the time that they spend with my mother or their other grandparents, I realize that they are dialed in to their elders’ stories and lessons in a more spongelike way. I know now, how my own mom must have felt when I used to savor every word that my grandmother shared with me. Weekends, I would beg to spend the nights with my grandmother. As an elementary school-aged girl, we would sit on her bed, and she would read books to me, taking time for me to look at the illustrations and ask questions. As I grew older, we would sit on the same bed, and do the daily newspaper’s word games, read the supermarket ads, and look over the obituaries. Once a month, when the Reader’s Digest came in, we would laugh at the funny stories, read through the columns, and contemplate the answers to the Word Power game. We were serious about looking at the prefixes and suffixes and the root words; if she didn’t know an answer, she would let me make the final educated guess, and grading ourselves was where we discovered new words to practice together. She loved to share stories and cook. She’s been gone 21 years this month, but I still appreciate

Four St ates Living

the lessons I learned from her wisdom.

I wonder what my grandmother would think about all of the vitriol and divide in our nation today. I think about growing up in the ‘70s and ‘80s, with the nightly news being the source of the day’s national news. News was unbiased and delivered without any indication of what a journalist believed. I feel like if she were alive today, she would turn off the television set, and piddle in her garden. I also wonder what she would think of COVID-19. She was born right after the Spanish Flu of the 20th century, and her mother died of tuberculosis when she was five years old. Like Maya, she grew up being raised by her grandmother. Oh how often I wish I could pick her brain just one more time.

So much of a formal education is learned through our school systems, our teachers, our peers. That formal education, however, pairs well with strong support from loving adult parent(s) and grandparents in the home. Children learn by watching the adults around them. They are watching us all right now. They hear you on your cell phones, and watch you on your computers, and hang on every word that comes out of your mouth. More than any other time in our lives, the way we conduct ourselves is being ingrained into the next generations of leaders. Be kind friends. Our nation is more divided than it has ever been in my lifetime. I often wonder, “Where do we go from here?” Through the ease of a few keystrokes and a post, some of the nicest people I’ve ever met can become the meanest over politics, COVID-19, school openings, or even silly things. Don’t think our kids aren’t watching what we post on social media. Don’t think they aren’t feeling your frustration about everything that you don’t like about the world right now. Fighting about anything that you cannot control is wasted energy. It’s energy that the people you love, especially those little people, need most, and they need calm and positive juju to help them attack the new

PUBLISHER Dr. Robin Rogers

EDITOR

Suzy Turner

GRAPHIC DESIGNER

Kim McMurry

SALES REPRESENTATIVE

Lori Rochelle

EDITORIAL ASSISTANTS

Sara Rothwell

Hannah Reed

PHOTOGRAPHY

Alamond Photography

FEATURED COLUMNISTS

Ali Deal

Nichole Holze

CONTRIBUTING WRITER

Jennifer Jordan

Lindsey McMillan

Vicki Melde

Ellen Orr

Sara Rothwell

Lisa Porterfield Thompson

normal in education that is coming, whether we like it or not.

The time has come for all of the extra people in our lives who love our little ones (and I include college-aged students here, too) to get involved. For some students, it may be extra English or math help; for others, it may be emotional support. Our kids are our future. Let’s all look out for them and their teachers this year. Schools are working so hard to make the right decisions, and parents and teachers are doing the same. Let’s give them all some grace and kindness.

For me, I will also be teaching a course in the fall, and it’s a new Zoom experience for me; do I like teaching through Zoom? No. But, you know what? There are a lot of things I don’t like doing, but I do them anyway. And I plan to do a great job teaching virtually. Keep your fingers crossed for this old gal learning some new tricks!

I am more proud of this issue than I can ever explain. It’s packed with great stories on educators, students, administrators, alumni, and coaches. But, Dr. Ben Neuman, our cover story feature, is a scientist and educator at Texas A&M-Texarkana who undoubtedly knows more about the virus we are all consumed with than anyone else in Texarkana. He is world-renowned. And locally, he has become known by his Facebook and YouTube videos that answer questions by viewers from around the country. Dr. Neuman doesn’t have to do a daily video update and answer questions, but like Maya Angelou used to say, “When you learn, teach; when you get, give.” Dr. Neuman and all of the other educators we present this month also live by that quote; so, if nothing else, let’s take the arguments out of earshot for our kids, and support their teachers and their administrators, as we all walk this educational journey in a new way.

Have a great August, and as always, thanks for reading FSLM

Do You Have a Story or a Photo?

photo by JOHN BUNCH

Ask

Dr. Ben

DR. BEN NEUMAN, WORLDRENOWNED VIROLOGIST AND HEAD OF THE BIOLOGY DEPARTMENT OF TEXAS A&M UNIVERSITYTEXARKANA, DISCUSSES LIFE, SCIENCE, AND COVID-19

by VICKI MELDE

Please tell us about growing up – your family, where you were raised, your fondest memories. What kind of child/teenager would you say you were? I was born in northeast Ohio – my mother had moved around some during her childhood but my Dad was from a small town there, and before he went to law school at Vanderbilt I spent my first years living in a cottage near Lake Erie. I am the oldest of four children, and there was enough of a gap between me and my brother, Jake, that I ended up mostly keeping to myself.

I was very short-sighted – that might be a good place to start. I spent a lot of time holding things like stamps up close to my face to see the details. I saved up and bought a little microscope where the eyepiece screwed into the top of the tube, and you had to lean over and look straight down the barrel to see anything. My grandmother introduced me to fossils, and they just seemed like treasure that you could pick up and bring home if you could pick out the details that pointed to something that had been alive once. I walked up and down the beach of Lake Erie in the summer with my shirt pulled up to make a basket that was full of rocks, mostly around the size of a good steak but sometimes much bigger. We ended up with a lot of those in the house.

My grandparents had a farm about an hour north of where we lived. I liked picking blackberries, and wandering the woods trying to follow a thin yellow stripe of sand that must have been the edge of a beach at one time. I was a little nervous about being in the field at the same time as the cows – I think there weren’t more than three at a time, mostly for milk.

Nicola and I got married at that farm in 2000 – and it is still in my extended family’s

possession.

I was a good student, I skipped a grade and graduated as valedictorian of my class but always looked at it as a thing to get through so I could think about other, more interesting stuff. I had a fascination with Egyptian hieroglyphs – the idea of a secret code between me and the dead was appealing.

Were you “into science” growing up? How did you know you wanted to enter academia – and Biology/Virology, in particular?

I was probably more into collecting than science at first. In the two homes I grew up in, I had a room that was previously the upstairs kitchen back when two families lived there, so there were lots of cupboards for storing things, and I certainly filled them up. A lot of that was collections of seashells from visiting relatives in Florida – the beach was another one of those treasure-fields where you never quite knew what you would find.

Once I had these collections, the next natural thing was to want to show them off, so I thought I would like to be a museum curator. My first museum had some of what I was convinced were either Viking or shipwreck relics from Lake Erie – mostly bits of driftwood and things from the houses that erosion was always pulling into the lake.

From there, I went to thinking running a greenhouse might be fun – propagating exotic little plants for a living. One summer I had the great idea to disassemble a Christmas cactus into its segments – I had heard they could regenerate. And when they didn’t start regenerating after a day or two, I borrowed one of my father’s insulin syringes and injected each of the little cactus-nubs with concentrated Miracle-Gro® to give them a little boost. It didn’t go well – they developed these soft, wet sores and then just deflated and died. Experiments don’t always work out.

the reason it appealed to me at the time, was that I could plant turnip seeds, and grow them in the greenhouse until it was time to infect. We ended up treating the turnips with an anti-HIV drug, and it worked reasonably well, which was kind of neat.

In my junior year, I had gone abroad for a year to take classes in England – that was a giant challenge, and the first time I really had to work at school. The students there had been focusing and were far ahead of me, in terms of understanding. Over there, you would specialize – first to around eight or nine subjects, and then around age 16 down to around three subjects, and that is all you would study. From the moment British students arrived at university in the biology program, they would be taking 100% biology classes – it was certainly different than what I had experienced at Toledo. It ended up working out well, and I met a very nice English girl called Nicola over there, but more about her in a bit.

I had been told all the way since elementary school that I was probably going to make a good doctor, and up to that point, it seemed like something I could probably do, and a reasonable way to make a living. After arriving back from the year in England, I finished up my degree except for two required Latin classes that were spaced out in such a way that you couldn’t take them in the same year. So I became a fifth-year senior.

To get ready for medical school, I volunteered at the medical school in town, which was independent at the time but is now part of the University of Toledo. I found the position through a contact from my undergraduate project mentor, Dr. Leisner, and it turned out to be working on a different virus of mice –the mouse coronavirus. At the time, I was mostly looking for

up to where the other PhD students were, but after a difficult year where it seemed like everything I tried just failed, things started to click. The place where I worked wasn’t a university, so they registered me with Reading University which was both reasonably priced, and just down the road, so to speak. I’d visit Reading twice a year to give an update talk, and that’s where I got my PhD. Later, I ended up working at Reading University, after a stint at a big research institute in California.

Please tell us how you and Nicola met and what you admire most about her.

I met Nicola on my first trip to England, in my third year of university when we were both 19. I was part of a group of seven American students that had dwindled down to three by Christmas of that first year (the others were too homesick and went home!). Apparently Nicola first saw me when we were marched fresh from the airport into a big seminar room.

A few days later, after arriving at the coast, we were both scheduled to be in the second wave of minibuses to go from our accommodation, in an old Victorian artillery fort, down to work in some mud flats. We ended up talking then, and then talking more up on the outer wall of the fort, looking out over the ocean. We talked for hours and really hit it off – that’s how it all started. What I liked about her then is the same as now – she liked biology, didn’t mind getting muddy, and was always going out of her way to try to help people. It’s hard to put it in words – I just really liked her and the way she thought about things, I had never met anyone like her before. For the next two years, with me back in the U.S. and her finishing off her undergraduate degree in England we embarked on a long distance relationship. All of this was, of course, way before cell phones or FaceTime, or even before email became the common way to communicate. We called (internationally from payphones!) and wrote to each other, with a couple of visits until my PhD started in England, and I could finally walk across some fields to the next big town and then catch a train, the tube and another train to visit her over on the other side of London each weekend. That was actually a big attraction of the PhD – it meant I got to be closer to her.

Please tell us about your education –did you start out knowing you’d earn your Ph.D.?

I hadn’t given any real thought to viruses until my senior year at University of Toledo – I had got a full ride there on a National Merit scholarship, which meant free tuition and a place to stay plus $600 a term that I could spend at the campus shop. When it got near the end of term, and I had some money left, I ended up bringing home crates of Snapple.

I had the good fortune to end up doing my senior project in a virus lab with a person called Scott Leisner. He worked on Cauliflower mosaic virus, which caused little yellow spots and streaks on the leaves of a variety of plants. My job, and

something to do while waiting for medical school, but I really liked the problem solving and planning in experimental science. After a year of work in the lab, I had a decision to make – I had a full scholarship to the MD-PhD program at the Toledo medical school, or my mentor there, Dr. Sawicki knew a person over in England who also worked on coronavirus, and was looking for PhD students. I was never all that keen on people or blood, and I really liked virus work, so it ended up being an easier choice than you might imagine. I went for the PhD, minus the MD. It was at a little government-funded research institute in England that was very focused on diseases of farm animals, called the Institute for Animal Health. I struggled at first to catch

From the age of 16, Nicola has always spent time volunteering in whatever community she finds herself – we have moved a fair amount in our married life, and in each place she looks for some way to give back. Most recently, she has volunteered to be part of the newly formed Evergreen Life Service Development Committee in Texarkana – I like that she sets that example for our children – even though she has a job and a family she always makes time for other people who are less fortunate. Her mantra is “bloom where you are planted” – and she certainly lives by it.

And your children, please tell us their names, ages, and something interesting about each of them. And please include family pets …

Isaac is our oldest, 16, and is about to be a junior at PG High School. He plays trombone in the band and is really good at it – much better than I ever was – and is going to be the assistant drum major this year, which is pretty neat. He is also a member of the Texarkana Youth Symphony Orchestra as of this year but hasn’t been able to perform with them yet due to the lockdown. He recently took part in the HOBY leadership

Dr. Neuman presents an Honors Colloquium at Texas A&M University-Texarkana in 2018.

photo by JOHN BUNCH

conference online.

Theia is our youngest, 13, and is going into the eighth grade at PG Middle School. Her big extracurricular thing is being in the StarSteppers drill team, and she works really hard at it, doing chassés and exercise kicks around the house. She also plays the trombone in the middle school band – we joke that trombone playing is a family obligation whether she likes it or not (I played, my grandfather played, and I have uncles and cousins who play, too). She takes very good care of our animals, all of which she has convinced us to “rescue” – we have five cats. And, of course, Theia somehow convinced me to get our corgi, during quarantine – it only took her 13 years! Apparently she is running with that success and now lobbying for a horse.

How do you balance your extremely busy schedule –especially now in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic –with being a husband and father?

At the moment, it’s hard. I am working for the summer on COVID stuff down in College Station, but drive back to see everyone on weekends. I suppose it helps a bit that we are all sort of house-bound because of the virus at the moment – I can see Nicola and the kids almost non-stop during the weekend. None of this would work at all if it wasn’t for Nicola, of course, keeping things running in Texarkana. Like most people involved in coronavirus research, I am not taking any breaks during a pandemic – time is of the essence. It’s intense but necessary.

You have been sought for interviews and insights by news organizations all over the globe – tell us about that experience.

That was a bit scary at first, but I kind of get a kick out of it now. My role has always been to help explain the science of

how viruses work in a way that is a little easier to understand. It’s something like being an expert witness in court, I imagine. My job is to try to stay neutral and help explain the facts as we understand them.

There have been some wild ones – when I was in the UK I ended up (with no idea beforehand) debating a Member of Parliament over Ebola regulations. I got to be on a show called “Africa Today” with a host from the Xhosa people who had a click-consonant in her name and was funded by Iran to talk about HIV. I’ve been on the couch on “Good Morning Britain” a few times, getting to chat with the makeup artists and the other guests in the green room, which was a lot of fun. Recently, I was featured in the Russian newspaper, Pravda, in the same week as I was on Voice of America in Russia – both talking about the spread of COVID-19. I am pretty sure those two are usually on the opposite sides of an issue, but whoever wants to talk about viruses, I try to help.

When the MERS coronavirus spread to South Korea, some of my comments even got picked up on Kim Jong Un’s personal website, which is really something else, if you ever get a chance to browse it. I’ve got a little spreadsheet where I keep track of media appearances, and I’m up to around 130 countries where one of my interviews or quotes has appeared in a local newspaper or station. I just like answering questions, and when the interview starts, it’s easy enough to forget about the camera and just focus on listening and trying to do a good job. Sometimes it just really clicks, but if you were to ask me after the interview what I just said, I can never remember the exact wording.

And please tell us about the work you’ve been doing on COVID-19. You were a member of the committee that named this virus – correct?

I had wanted to join the committee that decides on the names

In 2019, Isaac, Theia, Ben and Nicole visited Davidson Glacier in Alaska.

The “Ask Dr. Ben” artwork for Facebook and YouTube was created by his friend, Pete Starling of Electrographica.

of coronaviruses for quite a while, and finally got my chance when I helped discover some new corona-like viruses in a frog and a sea slug, respectively. I guess it’s like a magician’s guild in that way – there are probably other ways to get in, but usually it happens because you show the other members something new.

At the coronavirus meetings, we pass around spreadsheets with suggestions for new virus names and debate the best way to name things – I really like that aspect of virology, too. When it came to the new virus, the head of the naming committee ran some analysis that confirmed that this virus was such a close relative of the original SARS coronavirus that it had to be incorporated into the same species. I’m not the one who slapped the number two on the end of SARS-CoV-2, but I was one of the ones who agreed that was a reasonable thing to do. At the time we named the virus, the disease didn’t have a name yet, and I was hoping the WHO might settle on Type 2 SARS, by analogy to the virus name and Type I and II diabetes, but they decided to go in a different direction and COVID-19 makes a lot of sense, too.

What is the best advice you can give the magazine’s readers about avoiding COVID-19? Do you believe there will be a vaccine anytime soon – and are you involved in this research?

Wear a mask and avoid contact with other people, to the extent that you can. You can let your guard down at home, but when you are out in the world, it’s showtime and your actions matter more than you think.

I am helping a group of very smart quantum physicists for the summer at the Institute for Quantum Science and Engineering at TAMU. It is an amazing experience, unlike anything I have ever done before. They are trying to make better, more sensitive, more useful tests for COVID-19, and it is a real privilege to be able to help. I am also working with groups here and in Iraq on developing COVID vaccines, which is a completely new area of science for me.

Please tell us about “Ask Dr. Ben” – your science group on Facebook has quite a following. How did the idea get started and how do you manage to keep up with it with everything else you have going on?

“Ask Dr. Ben” was entirely Nicola’s idea, and it was a good one. We were getting emails and texts from friends and family at the beginning of the outbreak asking questions about the virus, and it seemed like it might be helpful to put the answers out there where other people could see, in case they had the same questions. She was especially aware that some children were feeling rather anxious about this scary new virus, and in the beginning we answered a lot of questions from kids to try and help them figure it all out. Kids tend to ask the most wonderful questions – How big is the virus? What color is the virus? Will the tooth fairy still come during the pandemic? Will this virus change me from a girl to a boy? Kids take their cues from their parents so we wanted to try and give them both the tools to stay informed, at a level appropriate for all ages.

Every morning before work, Nicola sends me a list of some questions, or I pick a few new papers about

the virus to review, and then I record a couple of short answers before work. She does the rest – the editing, the posting, managing the group, engaging with all the members. It’s one more of the many ways that Nicola keeps things running, and I am lucky she has a real flair for it. I never would have imagined I’d have my own Dr. Ben theme song, but a friend from the UK, Mike Hewitt-Brown, sent us one, and I have to say, it’s pretty catchy. “If you have a question that needs an answer, and the question is about virology ... Dr. Ben (Dr. Ben).” Sometimes we get questions about fossils or mask fashion. I just hope all of this helps somebody and makes a complicated, worrying thing feel less so. We have had some really lovely, kind messages of support, and that’s what keeps us going.

During 2012, Dr. Neuman (far right) went on an Arctic Microbiology field course with students and professors from University of Reading (UK) and University of Akureyri (Iceland). Here, they are pictured at a lava tube cave near Akureyri, Iceland.

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

JOSEPH

RAYMOND FINE ART GALLERY GRAND OPENING AND RIBBON CUTTING CELEBRATION

A Grand Opening Celebration was held July 16 for Joseph Raymond’s Fine Art Gallery. The contemporary art gallery is located at 214 East Broad Street in Downtown Texarkana.

Katy and Serena Nix

Misty Raymond with Marilyn and Wayne Bellew

Misty and Joseph Raymond

Joseph Raymond, LaCrecia Barry, Misty Raymond and Dean Barry

Kelli Watts and Michelle McClain

Ivy and Robyn Kennedy with Christopher Allen

photo by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

A Natural Fit

A Natural Fit

by JENNIFER JORDAN

AS THE HEAD OF SCHOOL AT ST. JAMES DAY SCHOOL, SUSANNAH JOYCE CONSIDERS THE 72-YEAR-OLD EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTION HER “HAPPY PLACE”

The profession of teaching is often regarded as simultaneously rewarding and challenging. Teachers have always assumed many roles beyond that of the traditional educator. They are listeners, caretakers, moderators, managers ... the list goes on. Particularly now, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers have to don new hats as they adapt to educating students in varied platforms while maintaining the state and federal recommended health and safety protocols.

Susannah Joyce is one of those teachers who has put on a new hat as the Head of School at St. James Day School, Texarkana’s private Episcopal school that teaches students from preschool through 8th grade. Susannah’s path to administration has been a natural one that has been nurtured through a deep involvement with the school, her faith, and the encouragement of others.

Texarkana has always been home to Susannah, although she wasn’t sure that she would settle in the community after college. Upon graduating from Pleasant Grove High School, she earned a Bachelor of Science degree in political science with a minor in business at Texas Christian University. “Upon my graduation from TCU, I was contemplating attending law school. My first year out of college, I worked as a paralegal for a local law firm. I was then offered a position as the Human Resources Manager at Mayo Manufacturing, an upholstered furniture manufacturer, and also my family’s business.” Susannah married fellow native Gene Joyce in 1998 and worked at Mayo Manufacturing up until the birth of their

first daughter, Caroline. Four years later, Catherine was born. St. James was the ideal school for both daughters. The Joyces enrolled Caroline in St. James’ K-3 class, and Susannah began to volunteer at the school in various capacities.

“I opted to become a stay-home-mom until both of my girls were students at St. James, and a few years later, I accepted a teaching position at the school,” Susannah explains. “I taught third grade for three years and sixth grade for three years. There are so many things I’ve enjoyed about teaching. One of the best things about teaching at St. James is the ability to truly get to know your kids – who they are, what they need, and what they don’t need.” In 2017, Susannah was offered a position in administration at St. James in Faculty Management and Communications. “It was during this time my predecessor, Cheryl Brown, made the decision to retire, and I was offered an Interim Head of School position,” she states. “Following a probationary period, the Board of Trustees voted to offer me the Head of School position, which I accepted.”

Susannah’s wealth of experience at St. James has helped her to prepare for her current role. “Though unpremeditated, my interest in this position sat squarely upon a few factors: my background knowledge, and faith, and encouragement from others. The reality is that I’ve experienced St. James from almost every significant angle possible. I’ve been a part of the St. James family for 15 years. I began as a parent, then a parent volunteer in almost every capacity. I served on the Board of Trustees for three years, I taught for six years, and lastly I worked in administration.” Susannah credits these

During St. James’ 8th grade graduation this year, Susannah presented the Head of School award for 2020 to Dawson Palmer, which includes a college scholarship in the amount of $1,000 to the school of the recipient’s choice upon graduation from high school. Funds for this scholarship are made possible by an endowment set up by Buddy Bell in honor of his mother, Martha Bell, a former teacher at St. James.

experiences as well as other elements in aiding her decision to accept the Head of School position. “The knowledge and skills these positions taught me, along with management experience in HR, provided me with a solid background and foundation to tackle this job. This, combined with encouragement and affirmation from staff members and our board, gave me the courage to accept this position.”

Members of the St. James family give kudos to Susannah as the Head of School. Lindsey Looney, Faculty Management and Marketing Director, who also taught with Susannah at the lower school (elementary) level, speaks to Susannah’s leadership. “Susannah is passionate about St. James. Through working with her in various capacities over the years, I can honestly say that she leads through her positive actions and the ongoing support she gives. She is inspiring and motivational to help grow us all as

individuals so that together, we can offer the best educational experience for not only our students, but ourselves as well.” St. James Board President and parent Monica Bruner avers, “Susannah is a true blessing to St. James Day School. In her first year as Head of School, she successfully guided us through a 10-year onsite accreditation visit and has led our response to COVID-19 with her ability to quickly grasp the reality of a situation and formulate a plan of action. She brings a fresh approach to an educational institution that has educated students in Texarkana for over 70 years.”

Dawson Palmer, Class of 2020 graduate, praises Susannah as well: “I was lucky enough to have Mrs. Joyce as my 3rd grade teacher and again as my 6th grade teacher, and then as my final Head of School. She helped make my years at St. James memorable. She is patient, kind, and loving. I appreciate her dedication to my education through

Members of Susannah’s 6th grade class, class of 2016, visit with her during their annual Field Day. Pictured with her are Worth Matteson, Cole Gies, Thompson Matteson and Luke Smith.

Both of Susannah’s daughters, Catherine and Caroline, have attended St. James Day School.

Susannah presents Caught Being Kind awards to students during a weekly all school chapel service.

the years, and I know that I am a better student because of her leadership, patience, and understanding. Receiving the Head of School award, under her leadership, will always be an honor for me.”

The students remain at the heart of Susannah’s love for St. James. As a teacher, she truly listened and paid attention to students’ concerns and needs, both academic and emotional. She can clearly see and value a child for him or herself. She does the same as an administrator, helping to guide students through a personal issue and always championing them. “A highlight of my time here has to be our recent 8th grade graduation,” Susannah remarks. “Our first 8th graders to graduate since upward expansion, these three boys were all former students of mine, and I was so proud of them all! It was a wonderful experience.”

Susannah is forward-thinking as an administrator, as she considers the skills students need to succeed as adults. “I think it goes without saying that the future of education will continue down the digital pathway it’s already traveling. Our students need to embrace flexibility, as well as hone self problem-solving skills. A traditional element that needs to be elevated is people skills,” she reflects. “Educators need to be mindful of presenting opportunities for students to engage in public speaking and presentation skills, as well as group collaboration. There is no substitute for excellent people skills, and our students need continuous practice at this in every subject domain.”

Throughout her life and especially regarding her vocation, Susannah has relied on the support of her family. “With respect to my journey in the field of education, I have to say my biggest supporter has been my husband, Gene Joyce. He recognized, before I did, how this path served a purpose in my life. Gene is an excellent moral compass for me, because he knows me so well, and he truly wants me to be happy.” Susannah comments that “the Serenity Prayer has also provided valuable guidance and inspiration to me on many occasions in my life. ‘God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, the courage to change the things I can, and the wisdom to know the difference.’ I try to practice this on a daily basis.”

As a school leader, Susannah models for both her students and her own daughters the value of giving one’s time and service to local organizations. A 2000 graduate of Leadership Texarkana, she has served on numerous boards and is currently involved in CASA’s Women of Hope, the Junior League Sustainers, and Women for Texarkana A&M. Susannah also will be participating in the Southwestern Association of Episcopal Schools’ Head of Schools University this fall.

Although she recognizes that it’s a challenge for her to find balance between work and family, Susannah likes to travel to see new places as well as visit old, familiar places, “where I’ve made memories with family and friends. I also enjoy playing tennis, reading, watching my children perform and compete in sports, and loving on all my sweet fur babies.”

Family support, faith, and a variety of experiences has led Susannah to find her home in the leadership of St. James Day School. “Without question, the best part of my job is that I work at a place I believe in and love. I love the kids, the people I work with, our families, and the tradition and culture that is St. James – it’s my happy place!” She also is grateful for her family. “A younger version of me pictured herself leaving Texarkana, moving elsewhere, and starting a new life,” she remarks. “Looking at my life now, it has been such a blessing the majority of my extended family is here, and I know how lucky I am to have such excellent people in my immediate family’s lives. I’m sincerely thankful for my family!”

The support of her daughters, Catherine (14), and Caroline (18), and her husband, Gene, has meant the world to Susannah throughout her educational career.

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

GREATER TEXARKANA YOUNG PROFESSIONALS BENEFIT GOLF TOURNAMENT

The Greater Texarkana Young Professionals held its Benefit Golf Tournament on June 25 at New Haven Golf Course. Winners included: first place: Allen Brown, Rob Sitterley, Sonny Brainerd and David Hickerson; second place: Greg Milhorn, Brett Rhinehart, Schoot Flanagan and Patrick Flanagan; third place: Ron Copeland, Jeff Butler, Anthony Pinkman and John May.

Patrick Flanagan and Andrew Jester Aaron Williams, Jason Williams and Stephan Haynes

Malachi Smith and Shane Stone

Hunter Bobo and Rob Sitterley

C.J. Horton, Matt Galloway and Sanel Thomas Cole Harris, Hunter Bobo and Greg Milhorn

Landon Stuart, Blake Watson and Garrett Camp

(sitting) Russell Sparks and Jason Ross; (standing) Brittney Hanes, Libby Hernandez, Heather Buster, Chint Murdock and Caleb Mudford

Wesley Williams and Brett Rhinehart

Lance Lemay, Larry Upchurch, Ray Crabtree, J.R. Bunch and Terry Larey

by SARA

photo

ROTHWELL

Where He Leads, They Will Follow

ANNA AND CLINT EDMONDS HAVE A PASSION FOR HELPING OTHERS, TEACHING STUDENTS, AND FOLLOWING GOD’S DIRECTION

by SARA ROTHWELL

Everyone that knows Anna and Clint Edmonds could tell you about their love for God, each other, and what they do. Both are teachers who have a passion for helping their students. Clint works as a science teacher, carpenter, and youth minister all-in-one. Anna is a sincere kindergarten teacher going on her sixth year of teaching.

Anna and Clint were engaged during August of 2015. Both nearing the end of their college experience, Anna was starting her first week of student teaching, and Clint was starting his last semester of classes at East Texas Baptist University. Clint had a camping trip planned for them and some friends. After Anna’s day at Hallsville North Elementary, they were headed to Beavers Bend for the weekend. Anna says, “I was excited to have a fun weekend but little did I know that our lives were about to change.” Upon arrival, Clint immediately took his soonto-be fiancée to a beautiful spot by the lake and popped the question. He was extremely excited and nervous that he forgot to get down on one knee but that didn’t stop Anna from saying yes! They were then married on March 12, 2016, at New Boston’s First Baptist Church, Anna’s home church. They were encircled with love, and the day couldn’t have gone any better.

Also during December of 2015, Anna began teaching kindergarten at New Boston ISD, a few weeks before they both graduated from ETBU. “Teaching kindergarten has always been my dream. I remember playing school in my backyard with my sister and kids in my neighborhood and always fantasizing about what a classroom of my own would be like,” remembers Anna. She always thought about following in her Mimi’s footsteps, who is also a kindergarten teacher. Anna is honored to be teaching kindergarten in the school district where she received her K-12 education.

Working with children and getting to be their advocate is something Anna treasures. “There’s no better feeling than to look around my classroom and see the excitement and joy in each of my students’ eyes,” Anna mentions. At the beginning of each year, she works diligently to establish a classroom culture of consistency. She makes sure each student feels safe, valued, and loved. Being many students’ first teacher is very special to Anna. “I will always be there to cheer them on as they find their place in the world,” Anna commented. She is also grateful for the strong group of ladies that she gets to work with on the NB kindergarten team. Anna says she is thankful for each of them and how well they all work together.

Soon after Clint graduated college with a degree focused in ministry, he was hired at Malta Baptist Church as their part-time youth minister. Clint enjoys spending time with the MBC youth group, leading worship on Sundays, and giving the children’s sermon each week. Anna helps manage their church’s social media, care for their youth group, and run the computer and sound board during services.

Clint has always felt the call on his life to minister and work with youth. While also working a position in the lumber department at Lowe’s, he began the process of getting his alternative teaching certification.

Just before the fall of 2017, Clint was hired to teach science at Redwater High School. He first taught Integrated Physics and Chemistry, or IPC. Since then he has taught Chemistry, Forensic Science, and has received his technology teaching certificate to teach Robotics.

Clint loves everything about Redwater ISD and has enjoyed working with the amazing administration and staff. For the upcoming fall of 2020, Clint is planning to teach Chemistry, Robotics, Forensic Science, while also being the

photo by MOLLY

KENDRICK

Clint and Anna were married on March 12, 2016, at First Baptist Church in New Boston. (Photo by Kristi Black Photography)

sponsor for Redwater’s Trap Shooting and UIL Robotics teams. Woodworking has always had a special place in Clint’s heart as well. When he and Anne were first married, he started making a few things for their apartment. He made a bookshelf, a dog kennel cover, refinished their kitchen table, and made a unity cross that they assembled during their wedding. He was given the opportunity to make a farmhouse table for his parents, and Anna posted a picture of it on Facebook. They received nothing but positive feedback and encouragement to start a page showcasing his projects.

They talked about it, then decided it would be a great opportunity for Clint to build for others in the community. More and more people started asking Clint to make personalized projects from then on out. Since they started their social media account, Clint has learned more about woodworking, and it’s been something that they could do together during time off. Clint builds the furniture while Anna helps paint, stain, and manage the social media accounts.

When thinking about what to name their small business, they definitely wanted it to be meaningful. In Clint’s words, “2x2 Carpentry has a double meaning ... one symbolizing dimensional lumber and the other signifying the way that Noah had the animals enter the ark.”

Clint enjoys getting to work with a variety of people in varying atmospheres. He has not just one but three jobs that are all exciting and rewarding. “I’m so thankful that I am able to live out God’s call for my life to work with youth and hopefully make a difference in their lives,” says Clint.

As far as the future goes, Anna and Clint plan to stay put where they are. “We truly love our jobs and the communities we are a part of. We are so thankful to work with such great people each day, while also getting to build relationships with our students,” comments Anna. They will continue trusting in the Lord in order to continue to be lights for the Kingdom where He leads them.

Clint and Anna at NetXtreme Youth Camp at Lakeview, where they take their youth group each year.

Clint with Luke Huckaby, one of his 2020 graduating Robotics students.

The perfect 2x2 Carpentry team, Clint builds the furniture while Anna helps paint and stain each piece.

Anna (far right) and the rest of the 2019-2020 New Boston Elementary kindergarten team gather on the last day of school so students could drop their packets off, and the teachers could wave goodbye to them.

photos by ALAMOND

SPORTS, FUN, &Good Conversations

FRIENDS CHUCK ZACH AND TONY KIRK ENJOYING

TALKING SPORTS ON THEIR DAILY RADIO BROADCAST, “LEAVING THE YARD WITH ZACH & THE PROFESSOR”

by SARA ROTHWELL

Chuck Zach and Tony Kirk are two longtime friends who know how to have a good conversation. “Leaving the Yard with Zach & The Professor’’ is the title of their weekday radio broadcast. At 5 p.m. you can tune in to 1079 The FAN, CBS Sports 740 AM radio, to listen.

Chuck was born in Wisconsin where his grandfather owned a die casting company. His father and uncles worked at their family business, and Chuck was supposed to do the same. He explains, “The expectation was that was going to be my thing.” Instead, in 1981, he went to the University of Wisconsin-Parkside in Kenosha, Wisconsin. For three years, Chuck majored in business until he decided to try something new. “Then I bopped around for a while. I did radio for a while; I did politics for a while; I sold insurance for a while,” he says.

Chuck’s interest in radio sparked when he took a 16-week tech course, out of a small studio, and helped run a radio broadcast. He comments, “I did radio from 1984 to today almost uninterrupted.” He went back to college and earned his Bachelor of Education degree from East Texas State University in Texarkana before it became Texas A&M. He later received his master’s degree.

Tony, also known as The Professor, was born and raised in Greenville, Texas. He graduated with his Bachelor of General Studies degree from East Texas State University in Commerce, now known as Texas A&M University. Tony had been working at a sawmill and “didn’t like logs flying by my head at night. I thought, well, this teaching thing can’t be that bad.” For about a year, Tony was a substitute teacher and realized that he really enjoyed it. He later received his teaching certificate from Stephen F. Austin State University in Nacogdoches, Texas. Then he moved to Dallas to complete his master’s degree at Southern Methodist University.

After college, Tony taught college classes for three years at the University of Arkansas Community College in Batesville, Arkansas, before moving back to the Texarkana area.

During 2001, he started working at Pleasant Grove. Chuck taught Social Studies in the room next to Tony, who was teaching Political Science and Government. Currently, they both work at Texas High School, where they continue their careers in education.

During the fall of 2002, Chuck was broadcasting Pleasant Grove football games and was in need of a color commentator. He had been doing sports talk and news talk radio for a while with different partners. He realized that he and Tony would stand in the hallway between classes and discuss sports on a regular basis. That’s when he reached out to Tony about being his next partner on the air. “One day I came in and said, ‘What do you think about doing this?” Chuck explains. “I had listened to the radio for years so it’s not like I had no experience with radio,” Tony jokes. That’s how their show, “Leaving the Yard with Zach & The Professor,” was born. “It was really just an extension of our conversations in the hallway. In-between class we would talk about sports. We would argue, and I would try to correct him,” says Tony.

When the two started their broadcast, they were only discussing games but later on Chuck invited Tony on the air to do sports talk. Tony mentioned that he became intrigued by sports talk radio when he was working toward his master’s degree in Dallas. “It turns out that I like calling games,” he explains.

These two coworkers and friends know each other better than the back of their hand. Tony says that Chuck has great poise and a great Midwestern accent. “He’s skilled in production ... very knowledgeable about sports. No one ever does play-by-play as well as he does,” Tony says. Chuck commends Tony on his knowledge of Texas sports. “Whether it’s girls basketball (which is the thing he loves) or The University of Texas, you name it, he is all about Texas sports. He has a wicked sense of humor, and if we walk up against the line of what we should or shouldn’t say, it usually comes from him. But that’s what makes it entertaining.”

“Leaving the Yard with Zach & The Professor’’ has been in action for 18 years now,

Tony and Chuck during a basketball playoff game held in Longview, Texas.

and they always come up with something to talk about for the hour. Chuck expresses, “We’ve been doing this for as long as we have and except for maybe at the very beginning, I don’t know that we’ve ever talked about what we’re going to talk about.” They simply turn on the mic and start speaking.

The first segment is usually “us talking about us,” Chuck remarks. He specified that they may start off talking about something that’s going on that day like “waiting in line at the DMV to get a sticker, having to wear a mask, or my dog going to the vet, the kids, you name it.” Then they naturally transition into what they’re interested in, or whatever is going on that day.

As educators, Tony has never felt that education means you’re smarter than your students. To him, it simply means the teacher has been exposed to said information for a longer period of time. It’s purely a transfer of information which is the approach these two take while on air. Tony says, “We read a lot about sports. We follow sports. We come on in the afternoons. We try to share information with our spin on it, and that’s what teachers do. That way, it’s kind of like our day job blends into our side hustle.”

After 35 years of being on the radio, the only plan Chuck has for the future is rolling with the punches. For Tony, going on 18 years of radio, he would love to contribute to the growth of A&M-Texarkana Athletics. Tony goes on to say, “If we help their sports program grow, that will help the University grow. That’s really the goal. This has been such a gift to get to do this as a side hustle. To get to do this was a dream for me. I think it would be a real contribution to Texarkana to help the Athletic program grow and to help the college grow.”

In regards to the COVID-19 pandemic, “Leaving the Yard with Zach & The Professor” has had to make some adjustments. “Typically, when sports are going on in Texarkana, that’s number one,” comments Tony. On a normal day, Chuck and Tony’s main priority is to talk about local sports in the Four States area. They’ve done their best to book guests so that there’s a third voice, either in the studio or on call. Chuck comments, “Normally, we wouldn’t do that as much, but without many sports going on you have to fill the gaps somehow.” This has been a great way to bring different perspectives into the conversation. Recently, Zach and The Professor have started recording their in-between conversations, with two cameras in the studio, which has been an adjustment. This year, the pandemic resulted in them making a Facebook page where they post all of the video footage. Check out “Leaving the Yard with Zach and The Professor” on Facebook to stay up-to-date with Chuck and Tony!

Tony and Chuck calling Pleasant Grove’s 2012 State Baseball Championship game at DischFalk Field in Austin.

Chuck with a group of students during the 2016 senior awards ceremony.

Running into former students is one of Tony’s favorite things about teaching. Here, he attending a Pleasant Grove football game to watch his daughter cheer and ran into Kim Davis McKenzie and Ben Idom.

In 2018, Tony and Chuck head into Cowboys Stadium in Arlington where they gear up for Pleasant Grove’s State Championship football game.

Education Spotlight

Special Section

“E ducation is th E passport to th E futur E , for tomorrow b E longs to thos E who pr E par E for it today.”

- m alcolm X

“It’s hard to know exactly what to say when recognized in a manner such as this. I am both honored and humbled to receive this distinguished award. I certainly thank everyone at UAHT for this recognition. I will always do my best to support UAHT, the City of Hope and Hempstead County to be innovative, inclusive and the best I can possibly be for the benefit of us all.”

- Jimmy Courtney

Jimmy courtn Ey

• 2011 GRADUATE • u niv E rsity of a rkansas h op E -t EX arkana

school -r ElatE d accomplishm E nts

• A rkansas LEADER – Criminal Justice Institute, 2016

• Police Chief Executive Development Course – Criminal Justice I nstitute, 2012

• A ssociate of Arts, 2011, University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana

• A ssociate of Applied Science in Criminal Justice, 2011, University of Arkansas Hope-Texarkana

• School of Law Enforcement Supervision, 2008, Criminal Justice Institute

• A dvance Narcotic Officer Certificate Program – Criminal Justice I nstitute, 2008

• C rime Scene Technical Certificate Program – Criminal Justice Institute, 20 07

• Narcotics Officer Certificate Program – Criminal Justice Institute, 2006

• Southern Police Institute – Homicide Investigation, 2001

• Hope High School in 1991.

occupation

• C ity of Hope Police Department - Hope, AR

• L ieutenant of Criminal Investigation Division (2011 – Present)

• Sergeant of Criminal Investigation Division (2007 – 2011)

• O fficer of the Year (2007)

• Detective (2001 - 2007)

• Patrol Officer (1998-2001)

• Hold all five CLEST Law Enforcement Certificates: Basic, General Intermediate, Advanced and Senior.

• P rofessional Instructor – CLEST

• Firearms Instructor – CLEST

• A ppointed by the Governor to the Criminal Detention Facility Review Committee, 2007-2016.

• Hempstead/Nevada County Drug Court Member accomplishm E nts sincE graduation

• K iwanis of Hope, 2012-Present (Club President 2016 & 2020)

• B oard Member of the Hempstead Co. Chamber of Commerce, 20152017

• B oard Member of the Hempstead Co. United Way

• Hope Public School Board Member, Zone 4, 2016 – Present

• Member of Unity Baptist Church

• Hope Athletic Booster Club (President 2018-Present)

• Athletic Director over Hope Wildcat Youth Football Association, 2015-Present

st. Jam Es day school

ca E dmon kyl E s

• 2014 GRADUATE •

futurE goals

• He plans to attend the University of Louisiana-Lafayette to pursue a career in Environmental, Soil, and Water Science and continue his Track career at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette as a Ragin’ Cajun.

accomplishm E nts

• 4.16 GPA, 4th in class at Genoa Central High School, Vice President of the National Honor Society, Calculus Club President, Quiz Bowl and Student Council member, 3 time 3A State Champion 800 runner, All State Indoor Track and Field, All Arkansas Indoor Track and Field, All Arkansas Academic Indoor Track and Field.

• Eagle Scout candidate, active member of Episcopal Youth of St. James Episcopal Church

“St. James taught me that nothing comes without hard work and dedication. That lesson paid off in a big way for me these last six years, and I have God to thank for giving me the opportunity to attend St. James.”

- C aedmon Kyles

carolin E JoycE

•

2014 GRADUATE •

futurE goals

• She is attending Belmont University in Nashville, TN, to pursue a Music Therapy degree through Belmont’s School of Music.

accomplishm E nts

• Caroline was the Salutatorian of the Pleasant Grove High School class of 2020; she was on the varsity tennis team, team captain her senior year, and was a 3 time regional qualifier; she was a member of PGHS’ Curtain Call Productions Theatre Company, and won numerous awards over the years, including 1st place in district this year; she was Photo Editor of the PG Journalism Dept.; Caroline was crowned Miss PGHS 2020.

• Caroline received the Head of School award at St. James in 2014; she donated her time and talents to many nonprofit organizations over the years by performing for events including: Alzheimer’s Alliance Wine Fest, Race for the Cure®, Run the Line, Dine on the Line, Railfest, and other regional charity events.

“St. James has laid the foundation for me to be able to confidently pursue my future endeavors, knowing that I have been armed with knowledge, grace, independence, empathy, kindness, and countless other skills I have gained from attending this school. St. James taught me how to work to be the ideal student while balancing other activities, and how to instill positivity in any situation. There is not a doubt in my mind that St. James has sculpted me into the woman I am today, and I will always look back on those roots to guide me in my future.”

- Caroline Joyce

• 1957 GRADUATE •

t EX arkana a rkansas s chool d istrict

Emmie Jo Jones Gamble graduated from the Texarkana Arkansas School District (TASD) as valedictorian of the Booker T. Washington High School (BTWHS) class of 1957. She is a 1961 cum laude graduate of A.M. & N. College, Pine Bluff, Arkansas, where she received a Bachelor of Science degree in Mathematics and a 1982 cum laude graduate of East Texas State UniversityTexarkana with a Master of Science Degree in Interdisciplinary Studies.

Mrs. Gamble is a retired mathematics teacher and former business owner. She taught mathematics for 33 years on the college and high school levels. In 1992, while still teaching, she became co-owner of KTOY Radio, the first Black-owned radio station in the state of Arkansas. In that capacity, she served as CFO, Station Manager and President of its parent company, Jo-Al Broadcasting, Inc., until she and her partner sold the station in 2005. While under their ownership, KTOY Radio worked very closely with TASD. She retired from TASD in 2000 after a successful career where she served as Program Coordinator for the ESAA Program and Mathematics Teacher at Arkansas High School (AHS).

Emmie Gamble is a charter member of the Texarkana Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc., a charter member of the Texarkana Pan Hellenic Council, and a charter and Emeritus member of the Texarkana Arkansas Education Foundation. Other past and present organizations to which she provided community and volunteer service include Conifer Girl Scout Council Board, Boy Scouts of America Advisory group, Faith Love and Hope Youth Corporation Advisory Board, Ozan Inghram Child Care Corporation Board, Southwest Arkansas Mental Health Center Board, TASD’S Gifted and Talented Program Board, Southern Arkansas University Board of Governors, TRAHC, AEA, NEA, BTWHS Alumni Association, and Miles Chapel CME Church. Among the many services that she shared with nonprofit organizations was her grant writing expertise. She is credited with bringing over $1 million into the Texarkana area through grant writing services.

One of Mrs. Gamble’s most noteworthy achievements was being appointed in 1977 by Governor Pryor to the Southern Arkansas University Board of Trustees, where she served for seven years and had the distinction of being the first Black woman to serve on the board and the first woman to serve as chairman of the board. Consequently, she was awarded an Arkansas State Certificate of Merit by Governor David Pryor for her service. Other honors include being selected as one of 100 Outstanding Women in Arkansas by the Arkansas Women’s Press, receiving Texarkana’s Woman of the Year Award, being named Texarkana Alumnae’s Delta Soror of the Year and Arkansas State Delta of the Year. She was also an honoree of the Phi Beta Sigma/Zeta Phi Beta’s Tribute to African American Women, the recipient of the NAACP Business Award, the Tri-School Alumni’s Achievement Award, the Alpha Kappa Alpha’s Phenomenal Mom Award and the Iota Phi Lambda Southwestern Region Woman of The Year award.

Mrs. Gamble is a 60-year golden life member of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. and a Silver life member of the NAACP. She also has life memberships in the National Education Association, Arkansas State PTA and her Alma Mater, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff (formerly A. M. & N College).

Emmie is the daughter of the late Nathan E. & Dorothy H. Jones. Both of her parents were employees of TASD and left indelible marks on education in the state of Arkansas. Her father is a 1933 graduate of BTWHS. She and two of her siblings graduated in the 1950s from BTWHS and her younger brother graduated from AHS in 1971. She was married to the late Eddie L. Gamble Sr. (BTWHS graduate) and is the proud mother of three sons, Pelvin, Eddie Jr. and Vincent (all AHS graduates). She has eight grandchildren and two great grandchildren.

Her oldest granddaughter, Channen, graduated from AHS in 2006. Thus, four generations of Emmie’s family have been educated in the TASD.

“My experience as a TC student was very positive. I could live at home and continue my volunteer work as a swim instructor. The small class sizes and individual attention contributed to my academic success and were very different from my classes of 400 students at UT.

“As an instructor at TC, my special niche was working with students who disliked or feared math. It was very gratifying to see my students do well and go on to become teachers, doctors, lawyers, and even a rocket scientist.”

m icha E l m izE ll m ankins

TEXARKANA COLLEGE 1961

u niv E rsity of t EX as at a ustin

u niv E rsity of h awaii

u niv E rsity of m oscow

tEX

arkana coll EgE r ElatE d accomplishm E nts

• Taught adult basic education at TC from 1968-69 with 110 GED graduates in 10 months.

• Taught mathematics at TC from 1969-83; Hosted two 6:30 A M instructional TV courses: Modern Math for Adults and Conversational Russian.

• Organized first campus Earth Day Celebration where everyone rode bikes to school that day.

• L ed women’s rights efforts on TC campus to allow women employees to wear pants; instrumental in establishing a maternity leave policy.

• TC Assembly Committee, Chairman – Organized distinguished speaker series including Margaret Mead (famous anthropologist), Brit Hume (White House correspondent), and Shakespearean Theater Troupe attended by 2,500+.

• Sisters, daughter, and foster daughter all attended TC.

achi Ev E m E nts & voluntEE r sE rvicE

• Grew up in Texarkana on the Edge O’ Texas Ranch on N. Stateline Ave. with parents Joy and Ben Mizell and sisters Cherie, Candace, and Niki. “We were cowgirls who barrel raced and rode in rodeos.”

• Met husband, Pete Mankins, at UT and moved to Texarkana to purchase and run Mike’s family’s Pontiac dealership. Dealership expanded to include Cadillac, Nissan, and Mercedes-Benz. Her grandsons, Kyle and Hayden White, now work in the family Nissan dealership.

• Mother to Allison, Michelle, Stephanie, and Jennifer and grandmother to 10 grandchildren.

• Served as a foster parent and host to a foreign exchange student, Doty Nasche, who became a U.S. citizen and lives in Texarkana with her husband and son.

• Temple Treatment Center – Board member and organizer for first swimming program for persons with disabilities; Honored as Phantoms for Temple’s Phantom Ball.

• Junior League of Texarkana – Board member; Helped restore Perot Theatre and establish TRAHC.

• St. James Day School – Organized first computer literacy program in ‘70s for teachers and students.

• Tex-Ark Antique Automobile Club – Founder and charter member.

• Texarkana Kennel Club – Founder and charter member with sisters.

• Texarkana Symphony Orchestra – Charter member.

• University of Texas – College of Education Advisory Council member.

• L eadership Texas and Leadership America – Member; Established Women’s Museum in Dallas (Smithsonian affiliate).

“I am grateful to my family and friends who have encouraged and enabled me to have a career as well as be involved with volunteer work. I want to thank my husband, Pete, and our daughters for their support of my activities and interests. I am very pleased that our daughters are also now involved with volunteer efforts and political activism.”

- Michael Mizell Mankins

Mike’s red hat is very special to her because it is signed by Willie Nelson, Kris Kristofferson, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama.

will bowling

• 2002 GRADUATE • r E dwatE r isd

school -r ElatE d accomplishm E nts

• Top 10, 4 state jazz band twice

• Runner up district champs, doubles tennis

• Southern Arkansas University 2006 with a BS in biology

• Harding University 2008 with MS in physician assistant studies

• Selected as a President’s Ambassador for SAU for 3 years

• Selected as an honor student SAU

• P resident of Phi Lambda Chi fraternity SAU

• Student Rep to the Arkansas Academy of Physician Assistants 20 06-2008

accomplishm E nts sincE graduation

• Community member of the year 2011 SAU

• National Vice President of Phi Lambda Chi fraternity 2009-2013

• Married to Lauren Bowling, and they have two beautiful children: Jackson, 7 months, and Harper, 3

• Physician Assistant – Collom and Carney Clinic

• Deacon at Highland Park Baptist Church

“I’m a proud graduate from Redwater, and have loved working close to the community I grew up in. I’m blessed to continue to live in the Redwater community and look forward to raising our children there as well. I couldn’t have asked for a better start to my education.”

- Will Bowling

John f loyd

• 1989 GRADUATE •

r E d l ick isd

accomplishm E nts

• Graduated from the 8th grade in 1989

• Graduated from Texas High School in 1993

• Graduated East Texas Baptist University in Marshall, Texas, in 1998 with a BS Degree in Science

• Completed Texas Heart Institute School of Perfusion in 2001

accomplishm E nts sincE graduation

• 19 Year career as a Cardiovascular Perfusionist

• Just began 8th year at CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System here in Texarkana for the Surgical Heart Team

• Married for 16 years to his beautiful wife, Bethani Floyd, and we have two children. Gabriel is 13 years old and will be an 8th grader at Red Lick Middle School. Sophia is 11 years old and will be a 6th grader at Red Lick Middle School. I currently serve on the school board at Red Lick ISD.

“Going to Red Lick is one of my fondest memories. Not only did I receive a wonderful education, but the love and care of my teachers impacted my life. I am proud to see my children benefit from a wonderful education and experience the same care that I received while a student at Red Lick.”

- John Floyd

l aur E n hubbard

• 2005 GRADUATE • p l E asant g rov E h igh s chool

school -r ElatE d accomplishm E nts

• R eceived PG’s award for distinguished achievement in the arts, senior year.

• Competed in UIL One Act Play competition freshman through senior year, receiving eight individual awards for performance i ncluding four All-Star Cast awards.

• Competed in regional speech competition and at the State level for visual arts.

• Graduated from Eugene Lang College at The New School University in NYC in 2009 with a bachelor’s degree.

• Graduated from The New School University for a MFA in 2011.

• On the Dean’s List throughout undergrad. accomplishm E nts sincE graduation

• Worked for the last ten years in the publishing industry in N YC as a researcher and writer at publications including A llure, Harper’s Bazaar, and Town & Country.

“I’m so grateful for the education I received at PGISD and the way the teachers and staff at the school supported and challenged me. Their care helped to expand my horizons and prepared me to go out and take on the world.”

- Lauren Hubbard

k imbE rly ati E nza

• 2020 GRADUATE • l ouisiana

tEch

school r ElatE d accomplishm E nts

• SFS CyberCorps Scholarship and Service

• Upsilon Pi Epsilon Honor Society

• Collegiate Softball Player for Louisiana Tech University

• Athletic Director’s Honor Roll C-USA

• A ll-Region First Team Selection

• Athletic Honor Roll

• CoSIDA/Google Cloud Academic Award

• Dean’s List

• E aston/NFCA All-American Scholar-Athlete

• A ll-District Team

• Two-time C-USA Champion

• 2nd team all-state by LWSA

• C-USA All-tournament team

• C-USA Commissioner’s Honor Roll

• 1st team NFCA all-Mideast Region

• Sand Dollar Classic All-Tournament Team

• L ouisiana Tech All-Decade Team 2010 - 2020

accomplishm E nts sincE graduation

• PAQ for Air Force Civilian

• Certification for CompTIA Security+ 2020

• Graduated with Cum Laude Honor

• Bachelor of Science and Engineering in Computer Science with Concentration of Cyber Security

“Louisiana Tech University gave me the skills, knowledge, resources, and opportunities to discover the path to my career. The hardship and challenges have helped me connect well with others and shape my character to what it is today. I will Ever Loyal Be.”

-

Kimberly Atienza

Our son, Archie, was born eight weeks early and had a failure to thrive diagnosis. He didn’t want to eat or open his eyes. He stayed about four weeks in the NICU. As he got older, he had developmental delays such as crawling, walking, and talking. Dr. Billy Burns was his pediatrician, and he said Archie was just fine, and some kids just take their time growing up. Dr. Burns said I was doing the right thing by staying home with Archie and taking him to physical therapy, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. He said, “Archie is smart Regina; just give him time and love.” As he got older, he was a joy for our family. He was very inquisitive and interested in everything. When Archie got to 1st & 2nd grade, he struggled retaining information he was taught, and he had trouble focusing in class, reading, and spelling. I had heard about LearningRX in Shreveport from a friend, and she was amazed at the results her teen son had in academics, sports, and socially.

Regina Latimer on Why she brought LearningRx to Texarkana

I took Archie to a local neuropsychologist and had him tested for anything and everything to see how I could help him. The doctor told me he was developmentally behind in all seven cognitive skill areas - attention, memory, processing speed, logic and reasoning, auditory processing, visual processing, and long-term memory. As a mother, I was relieved to know what was wrong. The

neuropsychologist said that we needed to find a brain training program. So like any good parent, I googled it. The search took me to LearningRx in Shreveport. They tested Archie, and sure enough, he was about two years behind in each area. We signed up for ThinkRx® and ReadRx®, both brain training programs. It finally all made sense, and I could help him.

Within six weeks, his personality came alive, his confidence grew, and he was changing. His reading was getting better. He even tried new food and ate better than he ever had before. After the first month of brain training, his homework got easier and he finished faster. His spelling tests improved drastically. I continued to Brain Train him over the past few years. As a teacher myself, I had never seen results like these so quickly. His IQ over the past two years has jumped 15 points. LearningRx changed Archie’s life and my path in life. I knew I wanted to bring this resource back to Texarkana, Texas, to help our children in the community. Many parents feel as I had, hopeless, and they do not know how to help their children. I found my answer in LearningRx, and I thank God every day that I have!

- Regina Latimer

Regina Latimer Executive Director Bachelor of Science Teacher Certification Regina has

Danielle Tyndell Assistant Director Brain Trainer BS in Psychology Abilene Christian University

Amber Sloan Brain Trainer BS in Mathematics

Mckenzee Thomas Brain Lab Tech College Student at TAMU-Texarkana

Madison Thomas Brain Trainer Bachelor of Biomedical Science Minor in Neuroscience

Darrell Williams Brain Trainer BS in Business BS in Accounting Masters of Business Administration

Kasie Hull Trainer Mentor

Archie Latimer’s Graduation from LearningRX

Rachel, Regina, Jason and Archie Latimer

LIBERTY-EYLAU HIGH SCHOOL’S DEWASKI DAVIS LOOKS FORWARD TO MENTORING ATHLETES IN HIS NEW ROLE AS INTERIM ATHLETIC DIRECTOR AND HEAD FOOTBALL COACH

BUILDING A SOLID FOUNDATION

by LINDSEY MCMILLAN

Coach Dewaski Davis has been named the Interim Athletic Director and Head Football Coach at Liberty-Eylau High School. He joined LEISD last school year and served as an assistant football and varsity basketball coach. He has over 25 years of athletic experience, first coaching at Queen City High School in 1991. He is happy to be a part of Liberty-Eylau and wishes to continue the strong athletic tradition that the Leopards are known for.

A 1986 graduate of Queen City High School, Dewaski was born and raised in the area and his parents, George and Katherine, still reside there. He was a four sport letterman while at Queen City and received a football scholarship to Tabor College in Hillsboro, Kansas. He played for one semester and then transferred to Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, Louisiana, where he played for one and a half years. He was injured and unable to continue playing so he transferred to East Texas State UniversityCommerce where he graduated in December of 1990 with a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education and Health.

Dewaski was thrilled to return to his alma mater to begin his coaching career and was part of the baseball team traveling to the state tournament that year. Calling his placement an “excellent fit,” he remained at Queen City for 13 years as the Head Coach of various sports. A year after his arrival, the baseball team won the state tournament in 1992. Coach Davis moved to Pittsburg High School where he was the defensive football coordinator for one year. He then served as the special teams coordinator and baseball coach at Ore City High School.

Coach Davis returned to Queen City as the Athletic Director and Head Football Coach for three years and then moved to Clarksville High School and was their Athletic Director for 12 years. In 2019, he sought the opportunity to be closer to home with the move to LEISD. Always up for a challenge, Coach Davis always knew he wanted to be

part of athletics and that coaching was always part of his career plan. He credits good coaches he had when in high school with instilling him with the tools and knowledge he needed for his own career. He says, “They gave me a well-rounded view of athletics.”

He met his wife, Debra, on a July 4th date, and they dated for five years before marrying in 1998. A native of Texarkana, Debra works with Texarkana Independent School District and is involved in a variety of community service projects. They have two grown sons and five grandchildren who live in Shreveport and Monroe, Louisiana, and in Virginia. They are happy to be closer to family and when not busy working, he and Debra simply enjoy relaxing and shopping.

Coach Davis’s plan for the upcoming school year is a goal which is routine for him. “I hope to bring a sense of community among the athletic program while bringing a winning tradition in all sports,” he explains. A primary focus of his is to prepare each athlete both mentally and physically to prepare them for life. This year has definitely brought challenges to all school athletic programs with the COVID-19 pandemic halting all spring sports and schools abruptly closing in March. He admits that moving forward will have its challenges but one he and his staff are up to. He is very positive about the year ahead, and the high school has already begun a successful strength and conditioning summer program. Heading up a program amidst uncertainty, he is hopeful that everything will move smoothly, thanks to the excellent leadership within the district among administrators and faculty. He reiterates to his players that they are students first and athletes second. He is also grateful for the previous school year which enabled him to get to know the staff and students prior to stepping into this new position.

Coach Davis’s athletic staff is comprised of 19 male and seven women’s coaches which span grades 7-12. He is solely

Both Dewaski and his wife, Debra, enjoy being with their family, relaxing, and shopping.

focused on growth and is proud of the first-class facilities of LEISD which are poised to move forward. For example, the high school tennis courts were just recently resurfaced and new nets installed. After the upcoming football season, they intend to replace all of the field turf. Liberty-Eylau has a tradition of producing stellar athletes, and Coach Davis’s vision includes a sense of community within the district. “I want to lead an athletic program that cares about the kids, outside of coaching which provides leadership in order to produce a well-rounded athlete who is productive and successful in society,” he acknowledges.

Coach Davis is excited about the new leadership within their Athletic Booster Club saying that they have a good vision and opportunities for sponsorship. He says the district is on to bigger and better things, and he has always learned from past mistakes which strengthens his own experience. He recalls a former baseball coach who shared some sound advice. This includes, for example, “Outwork your opposition”; “Be as good as you can be”; and “The more you put in, the more you get out.” Such advice has kept him on track throughout his lengthy coaching career.

One fond memory he recalls is one with the Clarksville boy’s basketball team winning the state title in 2012. He had always envisioned being in Austin for

a tournament in basketball after coaching the sport and seeing that accomplishment as the pinnacle of one’s career. Coaching across different sports has enabled him to lead a well-rounded program. Noting several L-E athletes who went on to successful professional careers, he encourages alumni to come back and be a part of the school. For example, last fall the department started an alumni basketball game which he hopes will become a strong tradition. Coach Davis concludes, “Our focus needs to be on building a solid foundation.” This foundation is a strong one with students, teachers, administrators, parents, and alumni coming together to represent LEISD with pride and success.

Coach Davis talks to his players during a timeout during a Leopards versus Rabbits game in 1999.

Coach Davis (far left) has fond memories of the Clarksville Tigers basketball team winning the 1A Division 1 State Championship in 2011-2012.

During the Queen City Bulldogs basketball season of 1999, Coach Davis converses with player, Jason Peters, who currently plays football in the NFL for the Philadelphia Eagles.

Experts Ask the

JOEY MARTIN Owner, Express Employment Professionals

How do you build employee loyalty?

To be included in the “Ask the Experts” column, contact our sales team for pricing and availability.

AUGUST

AUGUST 6

Companies are having to adapt to the current economic climate due to closures and social distancing measures, so keeping top talent can be difficult. With the economy facing tremendous hurdles, one thing a company cannot afford to lose is its employees. So, retention needs to remain a major focus.

One of the key measures to retaining workers is building employee loyalty. How do you do that? Here are three guidelines that I advise employers to follow while trying to retain loyal and trustworthy employees:

• Enhance Employee Development Plans

• Continue to Create Culture

• Engage Your Employees through Empathy

What are you doing to create a culture of engagement? How are you building an employee loyalty program?

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2020

Temple Memorial Pediatric Center’s Drawdown & Casino Night will be held at 6 p.m. at Crossties. For more information, call Gina or Sandy at 903-794-2705.

AUGUST 8

Caddo Area Council will host its Cub Scout Shooting Sports Derby at Camp Preston Hunt. Pre-registration is required at www. caddobsa.org. For questions, email zoe. nakashian@scouting.org

AUGUST 15

“NOT The-Watermelon-Festival-Concert” virtual concert will be held live from Hempstead Hall’s theater. The popular “Watermelon Idol” singing competition will also be livestreamed prior to the concert. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the annual Hope Watermelon Festival was canceled but these virtual options will provide at-home concerts. South Down Main will be the headline entertainment during the concert. All performances will be livestreamed on www.hempsteadhall.com.

AUGUST 22

The sixth annual Clay’s Golf & Guitars golf

tournament and concert will take place at Northridge Country Club. The concert will feature Sail On, a Beach Boys Tribute Band. For more information, call 903-2770192.

SEPTEMBER

2020

SEPTEMBER 14

The 31st annual Opportunities Invitational Golf Tournament will be held at Texarkana Country Club. Tee off will take place at 12 noon. For more information, call 903-7912270 or visit: www.oppinc.org

SEPTEMBER 19

The Just Love and Kindness Golf Tournament and Auction will be held at Texarkana Golf Ranch. This tournament will be held in conjunction with Texarkana Arkansas Police Department’s P.R.I.D.E. Academy. To sign up, contact Robb at 903-278-2590 or Hunter at 903-334-7401 or visit: www.justloveandkindness.org.

SEPTEMBER 26

To Reach Every Youth (T.R.E.Y.) will host its seventh annual Golf Tournament at 8 a.m. at Texarkana Golf Ranch. Breakfast and lunch will be provided. Contact Vicki Westmoreland at 903-293-4771 for more information.

ATHLETIC TRAINERS FOR SEPARATE SCHOOL DISTRICTS, STEPHANIE AND FORESTT BRIDGES HAVE GONE MANY NEAT PLACES AND MET AWESOME PEOPLE

photos by ALAMOND PHOTOGRAPHY

MOTIVATION LIKE NOTHING ELSE

by LISA PORTERFIELD THOMPSON

Stephanie and Forestt Bridges moved to Texarkana for their jobs a few years ago; both are athletic trainers at separate school districts in the Texarkana region, and even though they had no prior ties to the area, they’re enjoying all Northeast Texas has to offer.

“Texarkana is perfectly placed between our two hometowns [Hot Springs, Arkansas, for Forestt, and Paris, Texas, for Stephanie], so our families can come see us, and it’s not totally exhausting to go see them during the busy times of the year,” Stephanie said. “When we lived further South, we didn’t see our families much because Athletic Training is an incredibly busy job.”

The couple met when they were neighbors at the same apartment complex, and hung out as friends for a while, but they quickly discovered that Forestt was teaching in Stephanie’s major so dating was prohibited. “We officially started dating the summer Steph graduated from college,” Forestt said. “The first three years we were together, we lived in separate towns. We lived a couple hours apart, and it took us three years of long-distance dating to figure out how to make the distance dating thing work.

“Our only night off during the week was Wednesday,” he said, “so we used to drive toward each other and meet halfway at the Whataburger in Mt. Enterprise to have a date night. We used to get food and watch Netflix for an hour or two each week.”

The couple saw each other every Wednesday night that entire school year. After pulling off the long-distance dating, the couple decided to make a more serious commitment to their relationship and began to look for jobs in the same town. They knew they did not want to work for the same school district.

“This proved to be pretty difficult, since we weren’t willing to move to a big city,” Stephanie said. “Forestt got a call from Dr. Trey Mitchell, who had been a team doctor at Henderson State University while Forestt was in college, and he gave him a heads up that Texas High had a job opening.”

Dr. Mitchell knew the two were looking for

athletic training jobs because he had performed a surgery on Stephanie’s shoulder earlier in the year, and recognized Forestt in pre-op. After Forestt applied for the job at Texas High, Stephanie found a job opening for a health science teacher at Pleasant Grove ISD. While in her interview, she asked about doing athletic training, in addition to teaching. She was immediately introduced to Athletic Director Josh Gibson, who agreed the school needed a staff member on campus daily for treatment and injury prevention. Within the week, both were offered jobs in Texarkana.

“We felt very fortunate to find two jobs to suit us in Texarkana, because the town is perfectly placed between our hometowns and isn’t big city life,” Stephanie said. “We had been in Texarkana for three years when Forestt proposed. He planned the surprise, and it was very sweet—we had his assistant, Hannah, and a graduated athlete over for dinner one night before football season made our lives incredibly busy. I thought it was a typical back-to-school dinner.”

Forestt lured Stephanie to the back porch under the guise of playing a joke on their friend, and Forestt asked her to marry him. In true Stephanie fashion, she thought it was a prank, and pushed him away. Amid laughter, she agreed to marry him, and the planning began.

“We started planning the wedding and realized quickly that there are only three weeks a year that we’re both off work without sports coverage, pending baseball playoff runs,” Forestt said. “We needed to strategically plan the wedding timing, and chose May 30, because it was at least after classes, and the school year had ended.”

Of course, the couple’s plans were altered because of the pandemic. “COVID-19 created a ton of issues and obstacles,” Stephanie said. “We just rolled with the punches and changed and sacrificed some of the things we originally planned. We originally had planned to invite about 250 people but decided we didn’t want our wedding to cause the spread of COVID-19 so we just had the wedding party and our immediate family there. We decided to move the wedding to our front yard since we couldn’t have many people

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, Stephanie and Forestt’s wedding plans were altered a bit but they tied the knot before immediate family members on May 30, 2020, in their front yard. (Photo by Cason Spinks)

The Bridges with their nephew, Jax, on the sidelines at AT&T Stadium after the Pleasant Grove Hawks won the 4A-Division II State Championship football game last year.

and save our venue for a later date to have a reception with all of our friends and family when things are safer for everyone.”

The couple is looking forward to this upcoming school year. “We are excited to get back to our students and see our athletes succeed on the field,” Forestt said. “We both really like helping people. When a kid or a parent tells you how much they appreciate you helping them get back to their sport, it gives you motivation like nothing else does.”

The Bridges’ days at work are filled with many responsibilities, both in the classroom and on the field. They’ve both been working in their respective district for the past four years. “We both have to be at work about an hour before classes to do morning treatments on student athletes before they go to class,” Stephanie said. “We both cover the athletics practices/class periods throughout the day. Forestt teaches up to four levels of sports medicine classes, while I teach sports medicine and health science, and career technology classes including Phlebotomy and EKG Tech. Then we either have practices to cover after school or games, usually until 6:30 p.m. or so every night except Wednesday. During football season, we have Saturday morning treatments as well.”

The Bridges devote a lot of time to making sure their student athletes are cared for, and their work is a priority. But, they also make some time to relax and enjoy life. “With the very limited amount of free time we have, we both shoot competitive archery, hunt, fish, scuba dive, and love spending time with family and friends,” Stephanie said. “Normal newlyweds would say they plan to buy a house, or start a family, but we aren’t normal. We have already bought the house, and we don’t plan to have children.”

“Athletic training has opened opportunities for us to go to some very cool places, and meet some awesome people,” the Bridges agreed. “We have been able to access several professional playing fields and courts, like the time Forestt threw a pitch in the bullpen at Minute Maid Park, or when Stephanie shot a free throw on the rehab court in the Houston Rockets Athletic Training Room. It’s a new experience to high five the whole Houston Dynamo team, or have the highest paid bronc rider in the world thank you for stretching him. It’s fun to be watching a professional event and be able to say, ‘I know them.’”

Athletic trainers from several area school districts come together to work as a team during the Gladewater Round Up Rodeo. Working the 2019 rodeo were: Doug Ollie (who works for Justin Sports Medicine and PBR full-time), Mandy Bibb (athletic trainer for Union Grove ISD), Stephanie, Forestt, Brandon Mayers (athletic training student at Howard College), and Red Ganus (athletic trainer at Kilgore High School).

During the Bridges family’s annual crawfish boil in Cabot, Arkansas, Stephanie and Forestt visit with his parents, Bill and Romosha.

Stephanie and Forestt standing at home plate at Texas Rangers Stadium during an athletic training conference in July 2019.

photos by DIABE SALE

LOOK! HE’S GOT THE

On numerous occasions, 21-year-old Joe Pennington has been told by photographers that he is today’s version of James Dean. His chiseled jawline, infectious smile, intense eyes, and sleek hair are distinguishable physical attributes that remind people of the American actor who was ever so popular during the 1950s. While Joe’s looks have understandably turned the heads of many, his laidback southern charm and vibrant personality have also played a huge role in helping him land numerous photoshoots and modeling gigs.

“I had never thought about modeling until I was probably 16-17 years old. People would jokingly call me Calvin Klein,” the Ashdown, Arkansas, resident says. “I found out that my favorite actor, Mark Wahlberg, was a Calvin Klein model so I thought, ‘Hey! This could be something I might enjoy doing.’” So, Joe began researching Mark’s career and found out that he had modeled Calvin Klein underwear on an iconic billboard in the 1990s which was displayed in New York City’s Times Square.

Once people began receiving the invitations to Joe’s high school graduation (complete with photos) in 2017, friends and relatives began asking his parents, Joni (a school teacher) and Michael (a business owner), if Joe had ever considered a modeling career. Classmates even nicknamed him, “Calvin Klein.” His mother explains, “Once Joe’s senior pictures were sent out to family and friends, the comments regarding him becoming a model became an everyday conversation.” So on a whim, Joe and Joni compiled a portfolio of photos and sent it to several different agencies in the Dallas area. Within a week, Joe had four different offers

MODEL JOE PENNINGTON TURNS THE HEADS OF MANY WITH HIS MODERN DAY

JAMES DEAN SEMBLANCE

by SUZY TURNER

to sign modeling contracts. (At that same time, Joe had been accepted into the Walton School of Business at the University of Arkansas.) Since Joe now had to decide between school and modeling, Michael and Joni knew it was time to sit down with him for a serious talk about his future. “We explained to him that he had a choice for the summer; he could explore the modeling idea or he could go with his initial plan of going to Fayetteville. We did not want to persuade Joe one way or the other. We discussed pros and cons of both choices and had a really indepth conversation.” Joe knew that the university wasn’t going anywhere, so he felt like it was best to take the opportunity to model while he had the chance so he dove right into the modeling world.

Although he has modeled for the likes of The North Face®, Daniel Cremieux, Dillard’s, Signet Jewelers, TIGI, Bed Head, Soirée Magazine, and Arkansas Bride Magazine, Joe’s favorite modeling gig was actually shooting a Sport Clips commercial. “I have always been interested in film so it was really cool to see how everything worked behind-the-scenes,” he says. “We worked 12 hours a day for three days to shoot that commercial.”

Very humble about his modeling successes, Joe is the featured model on a floor display for Daniel Cremieux apparel at Dillard’s in Texarkana, where he also works as a sales consultant. On numerous occasions, customers and coworkers have told Joe that the young man on the display resembles him tremendously. His sly response usually goes something like this, “Believe it or not, that really is me!” Their response is an immediate, “Why didn’t you tell us you are a model, too?”

clothing display located in Dillard’s in Texarkana.

When asked if any humorous or unusual situations have ever arisen during or after a shoot, Joe grins as he explains about a Dillard’s/The North Face® spring/summer apparel campaign he previously worked on. “It was 22 degrees outside, so I spent the break times in my truck thawing out just to go back and do it all again,” he explains. “Another time, I was doing a men’s sports apparel shoot at Lake Ray Hubbard. The weather turned, and I ended up hanging from the rim of a basketball goal shirtless in the sleet and rain.”

Although none of the shots were able to be used, Joe can laugh about the situation now and reflect on his many unique adventures. “It can be a rewarding venture, but like anything else, you have to grind and pay your dues. There have been many times that I have been up and on the road at 3 a.m. just to get to a gig.”

Joe credits his family for being an amazing support system. He is thankful for the unwavering dedication and encouragement that he has received from his parents and his brother, Hunter. “There have been many different things that have happened when I felt like giving up on modeling; however, my family and friends kept pushing me to pursue my dream. I am really lucky to have all of these people in my life because they constantly encourage me to do my best in everything I do.”

The things Joe has learned from the industry, both socially and financially, have been wonderful educational experiences. He admits, “I love to model! It’s accelerating

and rewarding but requires much dedication.”

Although many see a handsome face who is blessed with good genetics and classic good looks, models work very hard to maintain a unique look that catches the eye and turns heads. Their typical day of modeling includes a lot of hustle with many long hours. They usually have to show up on location early, and take some time to get to know the staff and crew on the set. They then consult with the photographer/director to see what type of shoot they are expecting, go through makeup, hair and wardrobe, all before the modeling shoot even begins. Then they go through numerous wardrobe and set changes throughout the day, oftentimes late into the night. Joe explains, “By the time that we are finished, everyone is so worn out and ready to relax a bit.”

What is Joe’s advice for anyone seeking a career in the modeling or fashion industry? “Go for it!” He encourages them to work hard and never let the naysayers keep them from realizing their dreams. “My words of advice are to be confident and enjoy the process. And I encourage those interested in this business to use social media platforms as a way to be seen.”

Joe’s future goals are to continue to be a great single father to his new son, Witten, and work as hard as he can in the fashion and modeling industry. He

During April 2018, Joe was part of a modeling shoot for National Hot Air Balloon Day in Tyler, Texas. (Photo by Diabe Sale)

thinks he may even delve a little into the real estate realm, but he most enjoys spending time with his baby boy. “Being Witten’s dad has been the most rewarding experience of my life (as most fathers will tell you),” he explains. “Being a parent is an amazing responsibility and an incredible blessing.”

In the last two years, Joe has made a name for himself in the modeling world. Numerous times, photographers have seen something special in him and said, “Joe, we will see you again.” They recognize the talent Joe possesses and the drive that make him push forward to perfect his craft.

As for the future, Joe looks forward to seeing what opportunities await for him. In five years, he sees himself modeling on a full-time basis. Where do his friends and family see him in the future? Suffice it to say that several of them think he just might follow in the footsteps of his idol, Mark Wahlberg, and be featured on a billboard in the most popular tourist attraction in New York City. Yes, Joe, it is quite possible that we will ALL see you again ... in the greatest advertising mecca in the U.S. perched high in the sky on a huge digital marketing campaign for none other than, Calvin Klein.

Being Witten’s father is one of Joe’s most rewarding experiences.

Joe was chosen to portray a groom in the 2020 edition of Arkansas Bride Magazine. (Photo by Jason Masters)

World-renowned hairdresser Joel Torres cuts and styles Joe’s hair as he gets ready to model for the popular hair products, TIGI/Bed Head. (Photo by Diabe Sale)

Joe and Miss Arkansas Savannah Skidmore were featured in the centerfold of Little Rock’s Soiree Magazine. (Photo by Jason Masters)

TRIUMPH AFTER TRAGEDY

by ELLEN ORR

Though the adage goes, “it takes a village to raise a child,” in a culture more isolated and individualistic than ever, it isn’t often that families take this maxim to heart. In the face of tragedy, we may look to our friends, neighbors, and faith communities for help after-the-fact. But when Laura and Robb Klein lost their youngest child, Jarrod, to murder, they realized that community “before-the-fact” efforts might have prevented their child’s premature death.

In February of 2008, when Jarrod was a Texas High School senior, he suffered a dirt bike accident while out riding with friends. Beyond the significant damage done to his ribs, arm, collarbone, and lungs, Jarrod also suffered a traumatic brain injury. His parents were, of course, grateful for his survival. They knew that his life—and their lives, by extension—had irrevocably changed, but they never could have predicted the extent.

Through months in the hospital and rehabilitation facilities, Jarrod regained much of his strength, but

medicine couldn’t give back everything he lost. The TBI impacted his cognition in major ways; in particular, he struggled with executive functioning (planning, sustaining attention, critical thinking, self-control). This impairment hindered his ability to make wise decisions, a task with which even typical 18-year-olds struggle.

Robb and Laura employed the help of neurologists, psychologists, psychiatrists, and counselors. “We did all we could to guide and nurture him, and to get him to where he could be self-reliant and move into society on his own,” Laura said, “but this was never to be.”

Over the next nine years, as Jarrod developed a drug addiction and struggled to maintain employment, his goodheartedness remained steadfast. This, according to his parents, played a tragic role in Jarrod’s death.

“Jarrod, the trusting and outgoing person he was, could not rationalize that people would take advantage of him,” Laura said. “His kindness was his weakness to those who

AFTER THEIR SON, JARROD, WAS MURDERED, LAURA AND ROBB KLEIN HONOR HIS LEGACY BY CREATING THE NONPROFIT ORGANIZATION, JUST LOVE AND KINDNESS

were manipulative. We know that Jarrod’s personality and trusting nature led to his demise. The people he thought were his friends were the very same people who took advantage of his kindness and generosity, which led to [Jarrod’s murder] in 2017.”

(Though motive was never clearly established, it is true that Jarrod’s killer had been a friend. He was arrested, convicted, and charged with a life sentence.)

The day after the trial, Laura and Robb began contending with the energy within them. They wanted to honor their son’s legacy, and they wanted to prevent other young men from suffering a similar fate. They began asking themselves questions: what else could have been done to save Jarrod?

The answers they found surpassed individual efforts; after all, the Klein family had done everything they could do help Jarrod. They decided, then, that large-scale societal interventions were needed.

Robb and Laura with P.R.I.D.E. Academy participants on Texarkana Golf Ranch’s 14th hole where a bench sits in memory of their son, Jarrod. (Photo by Alamond Photography)

In 2019, the Kleins registered Just Love and Kindness Foundation as a 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to “the development of young people, veterans and the forgotten and disadvantaged members in our society in achieving their full physical, intellectual, social and spiritual potential, as individuals, as responsible citizens and as members of their local communities.” For the 2020–2021 school year, their focus will be on school-aged children.

To this end, Just Love and Kindness will be holding a golf tournament on September 19 at Texarkana Golf Ranch. Proceeds will primarily benefit the Texarkana Arkansas Police Department’s P.R.I.D.E. (Personal Responsibility in Daily Efforts) Academy, a program that aims “to reduce atrisk behaviors by promoting healthy lifestyles, educational achievement, and financial stability in youth.” By positioning police officers as mentors for Texarkana Arkansas School District middle schoolers, the department aims to reduce juvenile arrest rates.

“P.R.I.D.E. is doing what we envisioned, so we want to support it and help it flourish,” Laura said.

The idea for a golf tournament came easily; Jarrod loved the game and the friends he made playing it. (In fact, at the Golf Ranch’s 14th hole, a memorial bench sits in his honor.) Prizes will be given for hole-in-one, long drive, closest to a pin, and putting contests; the largest prize will be a new car from tournament sponsor Orr Hyundai. Besides actual game play, the tournament will also feature a silent auction, as well as catered breakfast and dinner. “We hope this will be a huge success,” Laura said.

For more information on the Kleins’ organization and to register for the golf tournament either as a player or sponsor, visit: www.justloveandkindness.org.

Board members for Just Love and Kindness are Lisa Knighten, Robbie Klein, Laura and Robert Klein (holding a photo of Jarrod), Connie Loomis, Karen Lansdell, Jessica Pearson and Kim Polk. (Photo by Bobbie Gail Starks)

During a family trip filled with laughter and love in 2013, the entire Klein family gathered together, rented a beachfront home, and spent a week in Galveston.

EXQUISITE

INTERIORS

SPACIOUS. RUSTIC. INVITING.

by SUZY TURNER photos by KIM MCMURRY

A covered wrap-around porch ... built-in cabinetry ... handcrafted woodwork ... natural materials ... outdoor architectural design ... exposed wooden beams. Although this beautiful 3,800 square foot home, owned by Carissa and John Clack, is anything but typical, it does possess many of the attributes of Craftsman style homes. Built by Rogers Construction, the Clacks and their three teen children moved into their immaculate space in July 2016. Located among 6.5 acres in Quail Hollow Estates, this 5 bedroom, 4.5 bath home has distinctive looks with undeniable character.

Simple straight lines with minimal frills are found throughout the home, indicative of the Craftsman-style. White-washed kitchen cabinets show off the expertise and preciseness of painter Robert Culwell’s work. Rough cut leathered granite in shades of brown complement the stainless appliances while rustic reclaimed plank board from Phillips Forest Products highlights the island area. The neutral tile backsplash accentuates the cabinets and countertops while unique iron pendant lights hanging above the island are perfect conversation pieces.

A built-in bench lines one side of the custom dining table while a plaque hangs above it stating “this is our happy place.” The Clacks enjoy family time around the table reminiscing about the days’ events and planning tomorrow’s activities.

The comfortable living area houses a stone fireplace with plenty of seating for guests and friends. A custom built shelving unit matches the kitchen cabinets perfectly and offers a great place to show off family photos and Carissa’s Willow Tree collection.

Eight different species of wood are used throughout this impeccable home. Light streams inside the many windows located in the master suite and yet, it feels very private. The custom built bedroom suite is enhanced by interesting textured materials and thoughtful color selections. The

master bath features copper sinks, custom pallet board mirrors and plenty of storage space. The sunken tub and massive tile shower are strategically located to allow plenty of room for dressing.

A rebar and wood bannister adds the perfect mix of industrial and rustic elements to the staircase. Upstairs, the teens’ bedrooms reflect each of their individual personalities. Laid back with minimal decoration, Coltin’s room is a typical boy’s room. With a neutral color palette, pops of color keep his room inviting and add a cool vibe. Clean and fresh, Cayli’s room features a wall-mounted flat screen TV, a swing that hangs from the ceiling, and a built-in custom bed accented with neutral colors and leopard print accessories. Carlyn’s pretty purple room is both stylish and functional and features a cozy papasan chair and garland lights around the ceiling.

The outdoor oasis is the perfect place for the Clack kids and their friends to gather. Whether taking a cool swim on a hot summer day, grilling burgers on the outdoor grill, or laying out on a chaise lounge, this tranquil space offers relaxation and comfort. Watching the deer frolic and play while listening to the breeze in the pecan trees reminds the Clacks that there is much joy found in nature.

With charming curb appeal, the Clack home showcases rustic elements while still maintaining a modern aesthetic. The reclaimed tin used in the breezeway and the front entrance gives the home present-day charm and a reminder of days gone by. Carissa and John provided consistent input during the building process so their home is an extension of who they are. The open floor plan and simple clean lines combined with the use of natural, unaltered materials makes it easily adaptable to the family. It is easy to see why the Clacks and their children love being together in this immaculate home, sharing quality family time.

SCENE ABOUT TOWN

TEXARKANA CHILDREN’S CHARITIES OPEN GOLF CLINIC

From July 13-18, The All Pro Tour and the Women’s All Pro Tour held its Texarkana Children’s Charities Open at Texarkana Country Club and Northridge Country Club. Proceeds from the tournament benefitted Runnin’ WJ Ranch. Additionally, on Tuesday, July 14, the pros held a golf clinic at Northridge Country Club for friends of Runnin’ WJ Ranch.

Sam Clem and David Whatley

Emily Orr and Vivian Miller

Brittany Rogers and Fallon Turner

Kayla Webster and Kristin Barker

Andrew and Ian Whitehouse

RAISING MY TRIBE

by A li D e A l

Why is everyone worried about our Alexa devices listening in and spying on us? Is Russia or China going to take over our country by what we are discussing in our households? There must be some really smart, educated people out there having wonderfully brilliant conversations going on that would be worth listening to. That’s not us. We are not those people. Who are these people? I guess the empty nesters might be possibly sitting around with a clean house and a glass of red wine discussing life’s mysteries and secrets. That ain’t us.

However, I actually, DO need Alexa and Facebook to target me. When ads pop up for something I was just mentioning to my husband, in the other room, 30 minutes ago, I am not annoyed ... I say, “How helpful! Thank you! One less thing I have to do today!”

In our household, Alexa, China, and Russia aren’t picking up on anything besides the following topics.

As we are rushing out the door late for our next activity ... “Mom, do people in China drink milk?” Excuse me. What? GET YOUR SHOES ON!

“Mom, do fish have a nose and can they smell?” Who cares.

“Why do we have to do chores every day?” China and Russia, listen closely, my children are lazy.

“Why do we have to bathe?” I am failing as a mom. We cannot even master hygiene. I need police tape at my door. Caution: hazardous area.

“Mom, where are the rest of the families for our dogs? Like their moms brothers and sisters?” Don’t know, don’t care.

“Mom, can I have the password for the computer?” Oh, great. They are watching YouTube again. More brain cells are dying.

“Mom, can I have a new scooter?” Sure, it’s Friday and your birthday was just Monday. We are spoiled brats over here. Take all of my money.

“When will Pa be home from work?” “I don’t know ... Track him on Life360!” Now Russia knows where my husband is because we track him a million times a day.

“Mom, I want to be a deejay when I grow up.” If China is listening, I really need my kids to go do more math flashcards or read a book. I am embarrassed on that one if they are listening.

“Mom, will you read me a book?” Call your grandmother on FaceTime.

“Mom, are you going to turn nice today?” We have been in this house way too long. My kids are seeing patterns in my personality. Soon they will make a diagnosis.

Always witty and fun, Ali Deal is a part-time hairdresser/ counselor and full-time mom to three children. She enjoys writing and sharing stories about her crazy everyday life in the “House of Deal.” Among her many talents, she serves as a partner-in-crime to her husband Cody, pancreas to John Morris, nurse to Rosemary, and baby whisperer to James.

“Mom, did Pa call in your medicine?” Yes. He did.

From my own mother ... “Hey, I’ve got a GREAT book you should read!” Okay. Sure. Put it in a stack labeled 2035. I’m cooking my 11th meal of the day. And trying to figure out if people in China drink milk.

“Mom, we should go on a trip. I’ll pay for it. I’ve got $20!” Great. Lets pack up for Fouke or Hope! Maybe Old Washington!

“We want to go camping and float in kayaks!” Pa says, “Can I just fly wherever y’all go and get a hotel near where y’all are?” Now, I’m getting targeted for campers and RVs.

As you can see, there’s nothing to see here. China and Russia, have at it! They are probably done with us after we got a drum set. That’s one way to keep them away.

THE ROAD Tra veled less

BY NICHOLE HOLZE

Shark teeth in the Sulphur River? Yes! In fact, I’ve even found a Mosasaur tooth! Located near Ladonia, Texas, the North Sulfur River Fossil Area is a paleontologist’s dream. An ancient sea once covered East Texas and specifically in Ladonia, the conditions were perfect for fossil preservation. It’s a beacon for fossil hunters, both professional and amateur alike. We have been several times, and I would recommend saving your expedition for the cooler weather of the fall, winter, or spring. There are a few things to remember as you prep for your fossil hunting adventure:

1) Check the river level before you go. A simple Internet search for the “North Sulfur River water level “ will take you to the Army Corps of Engineer’s website. The water level needs to be two feet or below to safely dig. The area is prone to flash flooding, so check weather as well.

2) It is a steep climb down the river banks. Our children handled it but it may not be suitable for young children or those with limited mobility (some of the “steps” are three feet tall).

3) There is no shade on the riverbed and because of that, it can get exceedingly hot and dangerous. Take more water than you think you need. Wear sun hats and sunglasses, and consider bringing an umbrella to give shade for younger children. We all use a CamelBak water bladder in our backpacks while we hike and dig. Leave extra water in your car for the drive home.

4) There are also no bathrooms, so be prepared to squat behind some trees. Please practice Leave No Trace principles and pack out any toilet paper if used.

5) Pack a lunch and lots of snacks. Snacks are a powerful bargaining chip for tired kiddos to gain you some extra time to fossil hunt.

6) Wear waterproof shoes with good grip, or an old pair of running shoes. The riverbed can be very slippery, and simple rain boots are too slick.

7) You do not need any special tools, though a screwdriver may be helpful if you are wanting to dig out of the clay and mud on the walls of the riverbed. Bring along a container to protect your fossil finds.

8) Bring a comfortable backpack to carry everything in; you aren’t going to want to one-shoulder sling anything to get down those steps.

9) You’re in nature. There will be wildlife. We have only seen one small, nonvenomous snake, however in the hot summer months there may be snakes of all kinds. Be aware of your surroundings and consider bringing a hiking pole or stick. Or, in our case, an old nine iron. It works great for moving snakes and helps get up and down the steep embankments.

10) Have fun! There are few places in the world where you can legally collect fossils, and we are lucky enough to be only two hours away from a prime paleontology hot spot!

There is no fee to visit. For more information, look up the “Ladonia Fossil Park” on Facebook or check the Dallas Paleontological Society’s website.

learning and good books abound in their homeschool, as they chase the spark of curiosity where it wanders on the road less traveled.

Hiking upstream

Never afraid of a long drive, Nichole is a homeschooling mom to two and wife to Ryan. Coffee, always, and black please. You can probably find her scheming up their next road trip while hiking in the woods. Experience-based

Bacculite Fossils

the FRIENDS list

Each month, Four States Living will choose two people who have “liked” our Facebook page to be featured in The Friend List. Chosen randomly, these two “friends” will answer questions we provide so our readers can get to know them better. The bonus question (the last question) will be related to the theme of each month’s issue.

SHELBY DEMUTH AKIN age: 29

occupation: Director of Marketing and Communications, Pleasant Grove ISD

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? Buy a beach house for my family. I think COVID-19 has made me appreciate vacations, and I am obsessed with Grace and Frankie’s beach house on Netflix.

When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you pass the time? Honestly, I take a nap. When I don’t answer my phone, people know I have fallen asleep on the couch with my dog.

If you were allowed to have one wish granted, what would it be?

I wish I was not allergic to nuts. It sounds small, but it makes traveling and events harder, and I would like to be more adventurous with my meals!

At what business could you max out a credit card?

I really love Nordstrom. And Anthropologie. My husband is already nervous for the yearly Nordstrom sale ... it’s my Christmas!.

Choose a movie title for the story of your life. “Curls Rock.”

DEMARCUS GREEN age: 39

Occupation: Principal at Kilpatrick Elementary School, Texarkana Arkansas School District

If you won the lottery, what is the first thing you would do? First, I would call my mom.

When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you pass the time? I pass the time doing some Amazon shopping.

If you were allowed to have one wish granted, what would it be? The extinction of COVID-19.

At what business could you max out a credit card? Express.

Choose a movie title for the story of your life. “The Pursuit of Happiness.”

What are you currently watching on Netflix? “Schitt’s Creek” and “Grace and Frankie.”

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go?

I would like to see the Holy Land, England, Ireland, and Scotland. I’d also like to go back to Italy with my husband, Kyle.

If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which would you pick? Target (love the Pick Up feature!). Amazon Music. Instagram.

What’s your favorite sport to watch, and which team do you root for?

College football is a fun season. Hook ‘em Horns!

What are you currently watching on Netflix? “All-American.”

If you could visit anywhere in the world, where would you go? I would visit Bora Bora.

If you could only have three apps on your smartphone, which would you pick? Candy Crush. ESPN. Starbucks.

What’s your favorite sport to watch, and which team do you root for? NCAA Football – Oklahoma Sooners (Boomer Sooner).

“ BACK TO THE BOOKS ”

Be flexible! Guidelines will likely change often, and schools will make adjustments in the best interest of the students. Flexibility and willingness to adapt to new situations will be very important in the upcoming school year.

Never let someone else define who you are. Be the author of your own story.