ALUMNI NEWS
CLASS NOTES
Class Notes
Retired Faculty –
Where are They Now?
Do you have great news to share with fellow FWCD alumni? To submit information for Class Notes and Alumni News, email alumnirelations@fwcd.com.
By Debby Jennings
Janie Garrett
LS and MS Spanish 1999-2020 Janie believes there is a purpose to each day, and she continues to make an important difference. She is the Director of International Friends at First Baptist Church in Arlington. As part of that program, Janie teaches weekly ESL and cultural and social skills to adult immigrants from China, Iran, Mexico, Honduras and Venezuela. She also volunteers on her church’s Bereavement and Care Committees. In recent years, Janie and her husband, Bob, have visited Norway and the Netherlands and traveled to Yellowstone and the Grand Tetons. They plan to visit Argentina, Chile, Colombia and Cuba in November. The couple travels frequently to see their three daughters and grandchildren: Janelle works in an international school in Shanghai; Rebecca ’99 teaches in Mansfield; and Eli ’01 works for Unilever and lives in New Jersey. Janie says one of her favorite memories is when students return from college and say, “Senora Garrett, I have a major or minor in Spanish.” She also fondly remembers the Middle School Awesomeness Initiative class when she taught students to cook foods from other countries. Janie was well known for her paella recipe and for preparing Victoria sponge cake for the faculty. When asked for some words of wisdom she might share with former students, Janie implores students to “look around you; there are people who need help. See them, serve them, and let kindness be your superpower.”
58
THE FALCONER
Mary Kay Varley
LS Grades 3 and 4 1994-2018 Mary Kay describes her life since retirement as “simple and a bit boring,” but she enjoys the ability to plan her days with no scheduling demands so she can lunch with friends or take in evening cultural activities without worrying about getting to school early the next day. “It’s like being on spring break all the time,” she said. Well-known for her interest in children’s books and authors, Mary Kay has an extensive autographed book collection. Before retiring from FWCD, she began donating her books to the TCU Special Collections Department, which now has more than 3,500 editions, most signed by the author. As a result of her donation, Mary Kay now serves as a TCU Friends of the Library Board Member, taking advantage of lectures and meeting visitors who offer interesting experiences and continued learning. “It is an honor to be connected to the beautiful TCU Library that also serves as an art museum for the campus,” she said. Mary Kay now enjoys reading adult authors and learning about new ones at the Dallas Museum of Art Arts and Letters Live program. With a grand-niece and nephew in the Chicago area, Mary Kay visits them and her three brothers more frequently than when she worked full time. In her hometown of Arlington, she volunteers on her townhouse community HOA Board and enjoys planning upgrades to her own townhouse. When asked what she remembers most about her FWCD years, Mary Kay said: “The warmth of friendship and continued learning. The trust the parents and students placed in me was something that I marveled at during my years at FWCD.” Mary Kay advises her former students to “discover what you are good at and become even better.”
1960s Class Agents 1967 – Bill Curtis curtis@acm.org 1967 – Bill Landreth blandreth@liferoy.com 1968 – Paul Stouffer pstouffer@sbcglobal.net 1969 – Steve Geis stgeis@hotmail.com 1969 – Gail Widmer Landreth gaillandreth@sbcglobal.net
1970s
Class Agents 1971 – Terry Siegel htsiegel@bvc.com 1972 – Richard Garvey richard@jagee.com 1976 – Brad Nowlin brad@bradnowlin.com
English undergraduate, but took a pause as he practiced law and raised a family. Dee and his book were featured in the Fort Worth Inc. digital newsletter in an article titled, “Dee Kelly Jr. Pens a Page Turner, and It’s Not a Legal Brief.”
1980s Class Agents 1981 – Martha Cox marthaccox@yahoo.com 1981 – Dan Tatum danltatum@live.com
Pete Geren ’70 was elected to the Fort Worth Club Board for a three-year term (2024-27). Dee Kelly, Jr. ’78 released a fiction novel titled The Malachi Covenant. While Dee is better known for his work at Kelly Hart, the firm co-founded by his father and where he is a Partner, he has written other books under a pseudonym. Published by Forefront Books of Nashville and distributed by Simon & Schuster, The Malachi Covenant debuted in retail bookstores and in digital formats in late April. This book is the first he has undertaken with a publisher. Dee began writing in college while at The University of Texas as a history and
Nancy Sumner Froman ’82 and her husband, Gregg, were featured in the Fort Worth Report for winning the eNewsletter’s February photo contest. Nancy and Gregg are musical performers who follow a routine when they perform: Set up their microphones and music stands, play songs from The Beatles and Fleetwood Mac, and always take a selfie. The duo’s band name is Yesterday, named after The Beatles’ song, and they began playing about 10 years ago. They got their start at a church talent show and now play a mix of ’60s and ’70s music at friend’s parties, the House of Neville Gallery & Gatherings, Boulevard Brew and Trinity Terrace.
Rush Olson ’86 served as the moderator for “What’s the Score? A Look Into the Exciting World of Sports Communication,” a luncheon and panel discussion on the world of sports communication with local experts. Sponsored by the Fort Worth Public Relations Society of America, the program took place in June at the Texas Rangers Golf Club. The panelists included TCU’s Associate Athletics Director for Strategic and Football Communications and Vice President of Communications, Broadcast and Marketing for Panther City Lacrosse Club. Rush has spent his career creating inventive content and marketing/PR strategies, with an emphasis on sportsfocused projects. He worked for local rightsholder TV stations as well as the Texas Rangers and Dallas Stars before launching his own company, Rush Olson Creative & Sports, more than a decade ago. With Mint Farm Films, he’s formulated big-picture strategic initiatives while also directing and writing television and video projects, including last year’s FC Dallas club profile on MLS Season Pass on Apple TV. 59