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Hogenson
Monday, July 4, 2016
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been to other libraries and they didn't feel as welcome. They had crying babies and were asked to leave. It was, “Hush. Hush. Be quiet. Be quiet.” And people have told us that they appreciate the welcoming atmosphere. Now, granted we have run off some people because it wasn't real quiet. I think it is more an evolution process. And it changes all the time. We never know what the next need will be. And our staff has been so amazing. Mrs. Joyce (Park) and Terry McLaughlin have been so good at helping people get services.
Gunter. We've stayed friends all through the years. She's the one who let me know about this job. She was here in Howe and let me know when this job came open. It's been awesome to work with my best bud. We go eat lunch together and go to conferences together. And we get to retire together, too. It's exciting.
We were roommates and we still stayed together. We suffered through dorm together. Oh my gosh. We got to Denton and not all the dorms were air conditioned. We wanted air I've seen people come in that were homeless and conditioning and it turned out to be the Joyce Park will get on the phone and find a place freshman dormitory and here we were juniors. for them to stay for the night, and help them get We came home every weekend, every food and put them in touch with people who can weekend. And then we'd go back. help them get what they need. We have a lot of poverty in our community and I don't think folks Question: Did you and Terisa live near realize that. each other? Answer: Terisa lived in the town of Pottsboro. I lived between Pottsboro and Question: You've had a long friendship with Denison. Her parents had a gas station and a little store, too. Talk about being the hub of Terisa O'Dowd, HISD's former Technology the community. They were. Everybody went Director? Answer: Terisa O'Dowd and I have known each other since first grade in Pottsboro. to Shorty's. People would get their gas. We had a teacher who seemed like she was 100- They'd make a sandwich for you there. People years-old and we would sit in the back and make could get their candy, soft drinks. Everybody little puddles of glue on paper and then we'd take knew Shorty's. crayons and put the shavings into the glue and set it on the window sill to dry. And finally one day, Question: Didn't your parents own a tree she found us and said, “What are you girls farm? Answer: Yes, it was called Elliff doing?” she laughed. But we used to have a lot of Christmas Tree Farm on 120 between fun. We went all the way through Pottsboro Denison and Pottsboro and they started that School District together and then graduated after I had already graduated college. Mama together, went out to Grayson County College read an article about how to plant Christmas together. I was going to be a nurse. I was a candy trees, let them grow, cut them and get rich. striper in high school and I come from a family Well, it doesn't work that way. Tree farming of nurses. And then chemistry at Grayson made is very labor intensive. My parents worked me change my mind. And Terisa was going into the farm for a while and then sold it. Now it's education and somehow she talked me into it. I called “Elves Christmas Tree Farm”. A thought little kids were cute. So she's the one neighbor and her husband bought it. And it's who talked me into that. We went to North Texas interesting that my parents grew trees. My together, although it was called North Texas brother went into forestry at Stephen F. State University at the time. We roomed together Austin University in Nacogdoches. So he's a in the dorm there and an apartment. We forester in Louisiana and now I'm interested graduated together in December. I was able to in horticulture. Go figure. I wasn't interested get a teaching job and she subbed that next in it before, so I don't know where that desire semester. And then we both got full-time jobs came from. Maybe it is in my family's DNA. starting that fall, me in Denison and Terisa in
Can We Ever Thank Her Enough? So, we offer a HUGE thank you and “Happy Retirement” to Becky Hogenson for giving so much of herself, for creating a library that we treasure, and for helping make Howe a wonderful place to live and raise our children.
Summer Reading Pirate Day July 2008
Becky Hogenson and Terisa O'Dowd
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