Shirley Skoog Knight - My Life After Lyford High School

I've been married for 48 years to Jim Knight.  We met in college.  He grew up in Houston.  He was in the army four years after taking ROTC & after we were married. Then, he worked as an organic chemist specializing in polyurethane foams.
We have 2 sons  and 5 grand-daughters (aged 7-13).  We've lived in the Killeen area, Houston, Conroe .  and Georgetown in Texas and in Alabama, California and  Pennsylvania.  The longest time in the same house was 15 years in Exton, PA.  We now have a Georgetown address although we're out in the country near the village of Walburg.  We have been back in Texas for 7 years.
I have a B.S. in Math and Chemistry from Sam Houston State and a M.Ed. in Science Education from Texas A&M and  I also took several computer science courses and accounting at UT-Austin.  I taught Math and Science in grades 6-12 for 21 years.  I was in Cypress-Fairbanks, Houston, Conroe and Georgetown.  The subjects I taught the most were earth science and geometry.
We tent camped when we were younger, mostly in Utah and Colorado.  We own our 3rd camper now, a 5th wheel.  We took all the grand-daughters to Colorado the last 2 summers.  We spent a lot of time in New England while we were living in Pennsylvania.  Between campers we traveled a lot on the east coast and Canada where we mainly stayed in Bed/Breakfast's.  I counted after a grand-daughter's question recently--I've been in 40 of our 50 states and 5 Canadian provinces.
I enjoy cooking and baking (have become quite brave).  I still read a lot; recently mostly historical fiction and biographies.   I do all types of sewing and other needlework, including knitting and various crafts.  Jim and I are "rockhounds".  Our main interest is fossils, also collect some minerals and do some lapidary work. (Jim does most of the lapidary.)
I spend a lot of time with our grand-daughters, especially with the 3 who live 7 miles away and especially in the summer.  We have a pool which brings them over most  hot afternoons.  I took lessons and learned to swim a little when I was 30.  I'm an expert floater.  I enjoy good health even though I'm overweight.
I also spend a lot of time on the computer.  I love Google, look things up daily.  I also buy and sell online-eBay, Amazon  and Bonanzie for the selling and most of the buying.  I'm thinking about getting a personal website.  The oldest grand-daughters want to help develop and manage it, so we're all going to study up on that.
This will be my 2nd reunion this year.  My college chapter of national sorority, Kappa Delta had a reunion in April in Hunstville.
I'm looking forward to seeing everybody October 16th & 17th.
Shirley Skoog Knight

Betty Louise Witte-Montgomery's Life After Lyford High School

I attended Texas Luthern College and then moved to Corpus Christi, where I still live.  I got married in 1964 and was blesssed with two great kids.  Darren is a Police Detective and lives with his wife Kathy in New Braunfels.  Konnie, her husband Josh and little boy live in San Antonio.  She is a Theater Arts teacher.  After, staying home being a mom for several years, I started a career I loved at Whataburger National Headquarters,  retiring after 20 years.
I remarried in 1997 and Bob and I love to travel.  Along, with being a politcal junkie, I volunteer at Driscoll Children's Hospital and serve on it's Auxillary Board.  But, the joy of my life is my two year old grandson, Ian.  It didn't look like I was ever going to be a grandma, but it finally happened and of course there's nothing like it.
Looking forward to seeing everyone,
Betty

My Life After High School by Sally Garza

The day that we were supposed to graduate, my dad suffered a serious stroke. He was in the hospital in Raymondville while I was at the graduation.  My father kept having strokes and by late 1959, I knew I had to start working and earning a living in order to support my family.  I was the oldest.  I moved to Corpus Chrisi with an uncle and his wife.  In three days, I landed a job as a billing clerk.  That first job was the beginning of a career in Accounting, Finance, Investments, Real Estate and teaching Computer Literacy.  I have worked for almost 50 years doing what I love to do, working in these five fields that compliment each other.  I have worked for more than 80 attorneys (Kleberg, Redford, Dyer & Weil, had 52 attys), was a contractor for Education Service Center speaking to teachers and students about the future of computers. I have continously promoted computer literacy, (now among seniors).
The Corpus Christi Caller Times featured me on a Sunday article in the newspaper.  After, the article, people started calling me the computer lady.  The newspaper article took my business to another level, soon after that I became an entrepreneur.  I have owned seveal businesses,  became a consultant for "start up companies" and represented attorneys during IRS tax audits.  On one audit, the IRS ended up owing the attorney over $70,000 instead of the attorney owing the IRS.  The attorney's bookkeeper had entered dividend payments and loans as  "income" for a period of almost four years.  This happened during a period when I was doing conversions from manual accounting to automated accounting methods for professional offices.
In June 1966, I married Joaquin Garcia, a DOD programmer/systems analyst, we lived in Corpus Chrisi until he retired (33 yrs) from DOD and went to work for DPS, Criminology (10 yrs) in Austin.  We have two children, Melissa Manceaux, (Baylor MS) who has been HR director, for Barton Creek Resort for 14 years. Eric (UTSA BS) is our son, and  has been a Real Estate broker since 1994.  The joy of my life are Paul (12) and Myles (8), our two grandsons.
Typically, my day starts at 6: 00 every morning.  My day starts by either walking, jogging down the hill and doing Pilatis.  I tutor 5th grade math on MWF mornings.  I office at home, so I am able to pretty much decide when and what I need to work on. In the Spring and Fall, I garden because I want my yard to have flowers throughout the year.   I am also a birdwatcher, the Hill Country has beautiful birds.  I  know that I have the best office environment when I take my laptop to the breakfast room table to work and watch the birds dinning on sunflower seeds.
I do not think that I will ever stop working, I love to work, to shop, to spend time on the computers, to make a difference in the life of a 5th grader, to mentor those children that have no "role models" in their lives.  For the child, who I think will benefit from having a computer, I will refurbish an old computer, install Word, Power Point and Excell.  Once, I provide them with a computer, they suddenly become very interested in learning. Most of them have used Word and PowerPoint, but only during computer class.  I do have to teach them how to use Excel.  I start with a "To Do List", which lists the homework.  Some are very surprised when they do not have internet access, once that is clarified, they are still happy they've got the computer. The software will highlight mis-spelled words, grammer errors and with Excel, they will learn a skill that will benefit them the rest of their lives. 

I feel so blessed because I come from such an humble beginning and I the Lord has blessed me with the opportunity to help so many people.

See you at the reunion.  I will be bringing my laptop and my camera, we can also pick the 50's music for the CD.

Sally

Life After Lyford High School by: Minerva (Minnie) R. Leal

I graduated in 1959 and got married that very same year to the love of my life, Alex Leal.  We have been married for almost 50 years.  We have three sons, Joe Alex, Jaime and Bobby, four grand-children, Joe Alex, Joe Willy, Chelsy and Ashley, and two great-grand-sons, Troy and Trey. 

I can say that I owe my Education to Alex.  He encouraged me to go to college.  I taught school for 37 wonderful years.  Living in the valley since we graduated, I've had the pleasure to visit with some of you.  However, it will be great seeing you on October 17th.  I will be attending the Raymondville game on the 16th.

Looking forward to seeing all of you.  See ya.....Minnie

Life After LHS by Kathryn Ann Schlessiger Kurz

After graduating from high school I attended Texas A&I College in Kingsville.  I finished with a BS in Home
Economics.  I married R. G. Kurz in 1964.  We lived in Bishop, TX until 1968 when we move to Somerset, TX, where we still live today.  We have three lovely daughters.  Sue Ann and Johanna are both married and live in Pleasanton.  Sue Ann is a Physical Therapist and Johanna is the Assistant Principal for the elementary school there.  Diane lives with me and helps me on the farm.  R.G. was a school teacher/farmer and rancher. He taught for 25 years before retiring.  I taught for 31 years, 28 in Somerset and retired in 2001.  R.G. passed away in 2005.  We have five grandchildren, 3 boys and 2 girls.  Paige is 15, Justin (13), Kendall (8), Stayton (5) and Holden (4).  They keep me busy and I am so thankful to have them so close to me.  God has blessed me with a wonderful life.  I could not have asked for more.

Life After Lyford High School by: Shirley Ann Mitchell Shed

Lester and I were married in December 1960 and moved to Raymondville. Lester worked for GTE for 32
years and I worked at a John Deere Dealership for 32 years. We have two children, a daughter Shannon (Cliff Gregory) that lives in San Antonio.  They have two children, a daughter Ashley (18) and son Jordon (15). A son Steve (Nancy) who lives in Harlingen and has two girls, Megan (18) and Madison (13).

We got a wild hair in 2006, sold our house in Raymondville and moved to San Antonio.  Other than the
traffic, we love San Antonio.

Thanks,

Shirley

Pause For A Moment To Pay Tribute To Our Classmates Who Have Departed

May They Rest In Peace,

Roy Bingham
Pat Carter-Jones
Teresa Cavazos-Medrano
Billy E. Dunkin
Donaciano Garza
Debra Margo Jarl-Withers
James Donald Wright