Harker Heights educator says 23-year
career has been rewarding and a chance to make a difference
BY JOHN CLARK HERALD CORRESPONDENT
HARKER HEIGHTS — Women like Amelia Earhart (first female to fly across the Atlantic Ocean), Katherine G. Johnson (mathematician who helped send the first men to the moon), Althea Gibson (first African American woman to play tennis at Wimbledon), and Sandra Day O’Connor (first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court), have made enormous contributions to American history, but longtime Central Texas educator Keonna White says those kinds of accomplishments are not the only way to make a difference
“Everybody has access to making history,” said White, a Mississippi native who lives now in Harker Heights, and has worked 23 years in education as a teacher, principal, and administrator. “I think sometimes when we think about making history, we think about the big things, but I think it’s the small things that are equally important. You never really know the people that you influence; the people that you touch.
“Many of my students come back to me and they remember things that I said to them or did for them, that made a difference in their lives.”
Keonna was born in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and raised in Mississippi, where she graduated high school and went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in English from the University of Souther n Mississippi. Her first teaching job was in
Texas with the Temple Independent School District.
“My cousin was stationed here with the military, and I was interested in leaving Mississippi for better opportunities,” she said. “I love Mississippi but I just wanted more opportunity. He was stationed at Fort Hood, and he said every year Killeen ISD hires 300 to 400 teachers. I applied in Temple, Killeen, Copperas Cove, and Temple called me first. I was hired over the phone.”
That was in 2002 and since then, Keonna has risen through the ranks from classroom teacher to assistant principal, then principal, and now she works as executive director for professional development and curriculum, and principal supervisor for six campuses in the Waco Independent School District. That means a 50-plus mile commute every day, but Keonna says the drive is not too bad.
“I’ve been driving to Waco since 2017,” she said. “I was working at Region XII Service Center. It’s OK. I take phone calls or listen to audio books, so it passes by fairly quickly, unless it’s raining or there’s a car accident, but I try not to schedule any meetings before 8:30.”
After she moved to Central Texas, Keonna earned a master’s degree and a doctorate in education. She also has taught at Temple College, Baylor University, and plans to teach a summer class at the University of Mary Hardin-
PLEASE SEE EDUCATOR, 3
COURTESY PHOTO
Keonna White came to Central Texas 23 years ago to take a teaching job in Temple and has worked at schools and colleges throughout the region.
Lifelong Central Texas resident workw in family business at age 92
BY JOHN CLARK HERALD CORRESPONDENT
HARKER HEIGHTS — Jeanne Isdale
is proud of the strides and contributions women have made throughout history, but with Women’s History Month celebrating its 38th year, the 92-year-old Temple native says she still longs sometimes for the good ol’ days.
“Women have come a long way in our country, but I’m not exactly for women being as upfront as they are now,” the 1949 Temple High School graduate said. “I still like it where men are the bosses (and) the leaders.
“We have a lot of women who have donated a lot of time and effort and love into supporting the country, and that’s beautiful, but I still like men being in charge. Men should be out front. I guess I’m a little old-fashioned in that respect.”
Isdale was born and raised in Temple, and met a young chiropractor named Sidney not long after she graduated high school. She was only 16 years old then, and already engaged to be married, but that union never happened.
“I was engaged to a gentleman at an early age — during that time, that was the thing to do — and we were breaking up. Then I met Sidney. I was on a date with his friend, and he was with my friend. He fell in love with me, and the day after we had this double date, he said, ‘You don’t know it yet, but I’m going to marry you.’
“Three months later, we were married, in March 1950.”
By that time, Sidney had started Isdale Chiropractic Clinic in downtown Killeen and been in business for a year. The couple went on to have five sons, and after they were all old enough to go to
school, Jeanne joined the business
“I took my mother-in-law’s place and was sitting at the front desk greeting everybody that came in,” she said. “I loved it because my husband absolutely loved what he was doing. He loved his patients and they loved him. It was great.”
When she moved to Killeen from the other side of Bell County, it was a quiet former far ming community that eventually became the state’s 19th largest city in the years following World War II.
“It is NOT the same town as when I moved here,” Jeanne said. “It was a lot quieter (and) not as busy. Wonderful people who lived here. We knew most everybody in town. The people here have always been wonderful.
“We (the city) didn’t have a real good reputation with the Ar my at that time People were living in unusual places (because) there were not enough homes So there were places people created to make their home here. I cannot remember exactly how it started …. down by the post office, there were some places people were living that were not what you expected normal homes to be, but that’s all there was.”
According to Texas A&M UniversityCentral Texas in Killeen, the city included about 1,300 residents in 1925, and 1,260 by 1931. In 1940, there were 1,263 people counted by the U.S. Census, and then came World War II and the establishment of Camp Hood in 1942. Construction workers, soldiers, and family members moved here by the thousands and Killeen became a military boomtown with a serious housing shortage.
At one time, there was a tent city built for a thousand workers, and some new-
PLEASE SEE FAMILY, 4
JOHN CLARK | HERALD
Jeanne Isdale was born in Temple, graduated from Temple High School in 1949, and has lived in Central Texas all her life. She still serves as business manager for Isdale Chiropractic Clinic, opened 76 years ago by her late husband in downtown Killeen.
Elizabeth Catlett: A Black revolutionary artist featured at the National Gallery of Art
STAFF REPORTS
One of the defining artists of the 20th century, Elizabeth Catlett addressed the injustices she witnessed and experienced in the United States and Mexico through her bold prints and dynamic sculptures More than 150 of her creations, including rarely seen paintings and drawings, are now on display at the National Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C.
A prominent African American sculptor and printmaker, Catlett created art dedicated to aesthetic rigor, human dignity, and freedom for all. Bor n in 1915, in Washington, DC, she graduated from Howard University then ear ned a master of fine arts from the University of Iowa — the first student in the United States to do so. African art and the works of the Mexican muralists became early — and lifelong — inspirations After ear ning a prestigious Rosenwald
EDUCATOR: Re war ding car eer for Whit e
Baylor in Belton. She has been married 23 years to Kenneth, and they have one child and four grandchildren.
Looking back, Keonna says it was never her plan to become a school teacher. As she went through college, it became apparent to her that sharing her love for school and for lear ning might be a good fit. Apparently, she made a good choice.
“I was always the one who got the group together if there was a group project at school, so I was always a teacher, if that makes sense. I guess I can be considered a take-charge person. Some may call it bossy, but I call it being a boss
“I just loved school. I’m naturally curious and school
came naturally for me. So, it was just a natural fit. I’ve always been fascinated with teaching and lear ning.
“Honestly, it was never my dream to be a principal or a supervisor or any of those things. It’s interesting in education because when you look at the numbers, females make up 80 percent of teachers and only 20% of leadership. For superintendents, it’s even less Minority superintendents in the state of Texas make up less than 1%.
“It’s really interesting that the higher you progress in your career, it’s really still a male-dominated field, even though it’s been proven by research that women have a higher skill set for doing this type of work because of their emotional intelligence
“I think the expectations for women are different. I am a straight-forward person who is very direct, and
Fellowship, Catlett moved to Mexico in 1946, where she became a member of the Taller de Gráfica Popular (TGP, People’s Graphic Workshop). She became a citizen there in 1962.
Catlett’s work reflects the strengths and struggles of Black and Mexican people — in her words, her “two peoples.” She portrayed the dignity and resilience of her subjects, addressing challenges surrounding race, gender, and class. Although small, her prints exude strength and power — particularly those from the Black Woman (1946–1947) series. Her sculptures convey a stately presence and quiet beauty, whether portraying public figures such as Sojour ner Truth or anonymous women, friends, and family A lifelong teacher, Catlett mentored many artists and emphasized the importance of education. Her works and her life continue to inspire artists and audiences today.
I think that is not always taken well by my male counterparts. So I do know that I have to be more careful and considerate about how I maneuver; how I roll out things.
“I think it’s so important for women to advocate for each other. To nurture each other and network with each other. There is some research on a lack of mentorship for women, and I think it’s so important to have those connections. Every advancement I’ve ever gotten was connected to a woman looking out for me. Being a souther n belle from Mississippi, I think we sometimes have been reluctant to share our stories. To share your struggles, and even your joy. I think that’s important for women to do in everyday interactions they have with others. I think it reduces people feeling like they are alone or like they are the only ones who have experienced certain things. I think that connection helps you to make history in your own way.”
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This sculpture, called “Black Unity” was made by Elizabeth Catlett in 1968.
FAMILY: Sti ll in Business at 92
comers reportedly paid rent to sleep in henhouses. After World War II, boomtown suffered a setback in its economic prosperity, but when Fort Hood was established as a permanent installation in 1950, another boom was on its way. The population soared from 1,300 in 1949 to 7,045 one year later, and during 1950-51, more than 95 new commercial buildings were built. By 1955, Killeen had an estimated 21,076 residents
The Isdale family, which counts 18 chiropractors among them, including four of Jeanne and Sidney’s five sons, uncles nephews, and sisters-in-law, has been here through it all.
Isdale Chiropractic has been in business now in Killeen for 76 years. Sidney was one of the city’s prominent business leaders, serving eight years on the Killeen City Council, as a member of the Killeen and Harker Heights chambers of commerce, president of the Kiwanis Club, and is credited with helping establish the Killeen Public Library. Jeanne, meanwhile, also dedicated much of her life to volunteering in the community, particularly with the Chamber of Commerce and AUSA (Association of the United States Army). Working with AUSA was particularly rewarding, she said.
“I did that for 30 years,” she said. “It was such a thrill and an honor to be of service I absolutely loved every minute. I love our military. My husband also participated. We would entertain at our home, and we did things in (Washington) D.C., and in San Antonio. We would go visit the soldiers who had been wounded, and that was a tremendous honor.”
Sidney, a U.S. Navy veteran, died suddenly in 2005 at age 78. His loss was devas-
tating after 55 years together, Jeanne says, but it also was a time to rejoice
“What happened was … we had gone to Hawaii for two weeks,” she said. “We came home and one of our grandsons was getting married down by Houston. We were very excited about that – he was never really excited about weddings, but he was about this one — and we were going for that.
“He was having some health problems and so he went to the hospital to check in with his doctor. He came home that same night and had a massive stroke. They took him over to Scott and White, and they were going to operate the next day. So all of our kids had come home, and he was not able to communicate but every one of them got a few minutes with him.
“After everybody had given him kisses and told him they loved him and how proud they were of him, he closed his eyes and breathed his last breath, with all five sons and another guy we considered a son there by his side.
“We knew where he was going, because he was such a wonderful Christian.”
Jeanne still has her business manager’s office at the clinic on Winkler Drive, off of Trimmier Avenue. She still goes to work to help out but not every day anymore
“Our staff does the work,” she said. “I come and do a little, but not very much. I love being involved, but I don’t come every day. My time is my own, so when I’m not here, I’m with family and friends.”
Jeanne says she and her family have been blessed to live for so long in Central Texas. She is not sure about having any secrets to the longevity she enjoys, but she is grateful for the community and the people in it who have been friends and supporters all these years
“I have no idea why God has left me
here this long, but he’s so good to me,” the grandmother of 13 and great-grandmother of 25 said, pointing both index
fingers skyward. “Everything I have done is because he opened the way for me to get involved in everything I ever did.
“I have lived a good, old-fashioned American life. I’ve traveled around the world and this country, and I have never
found any place that is better than Central Texas. It has been a total pleasure living in this area. The people are top-notch. My kids have grown up here and they have been successful. Just the people we have been able to meet in the community has been the most rewarding experience. We have been so blessed. We’ve just had a wonderful life.”
JOHN CLARK | HERALD
Jeanne Isdale and her late husband, Sidney, owners of Isdale Chiropractic Clinic, were married in 1950 and spent 55 years together.
Career military vet recalls rough transition into Army life
BY JOHN CLARK HERALD CORRESPONDENT
COPPERAS COVE — Retired U.S. Army
Sgt. 1st Class Donna Wilson spent 20 years in the military, but she nearly did not make it past her first term of enlistment.
“When I first went in, I hated it,” the Copperas Cove resident said. “The military was not for me. I was, like, who gets up at these hours? Why are we sleeping outside? Who does that? I was a good soldier because I did what I was supposed to do. I was always where I was supposed to be; my PT test was great. I checked all the right boxes, but the military was not for me.
“My first duty station was Germany. It was 18 months (and) I did not go home (on leave) because I knew I was going to go AWOL. I was homesick. I didn’t enjoy Germany. I didn’t travel. I stayed in my room most of the time
“I made E-5 (sergeant) in three years, and then I was just stagnant because I didn’t like the military
Two things happened early in her career that helped turn things around and led to her successful two-decade career. One incident occurred when she participated in PLDC (Primary Leadership Development Course) training after she got back from overseas
Donna tells the story:
“It’s kind of embarrassing, but it was a pivotal point in my career. I went to PLDC and somebody there had 45 or 50 demerits, and the buzz was, ‘Who the hell got all these demerits?’
“It was me.
“We had an inspection and we had to put all our items up, and I didn’t pay attention to detail. I probably should have been sent
back to my unit. My sergeant made drill sergeants look like angels. So I dried my tears and went to my sergeant and asked, ‘How can I get rid of these demerits?’
“On the weekends, we could go home so he said, ‘You can be my assistant.’ I had to stay at PLDC while everybody else was gone and shadow him, buff floors, make sure the barracks were straight, and not only that, now I’m in the spotlight as the one who got all these demerits
“I told you I did not like the military, but it’s when I kind of transitioned into becoming a soldier. To this day, I pay attention to detail, and I learned to hold myself accountable.”
Although she became a more dedicated soldier, Donna still was not convinced the Army was a good fit for her long-term. When re-enlistment time rolled around, she went home to consider her options, and was not at all sure about the future. It did not take her long to make a decision.
“I wanted to go home first and check the temperature there, to see what I wanted to do,” Donna said. “So I went home and it seemed like a majority of the people (I knew) had just stood still. They were stagnant; not doing anything. I thought, ‘Well, I’m not missing anything here.’
“So, I re-enlisted … and I’ll tell you when my mindset changed. It was when I had my oldest son. When I had my son in 1991 (she was 25 years old), I got focused and turned things around. I said, ‘OK, it’s either time for me to make this a career or make something else a career.’ I started going to college (and) taking correspondence courses. I got on the ball and started doing things to progress myself.”
Donna was born and raised in Baltimore, Maryland, where she graduated high school in 1984. Joining the military
Retired U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Donna Wilson (le ) spent 20 years in the military. She served from 2003 to 2004 as a cook in the Persian Gulf was not exactly on her radar, but one thing she knew for a fact is that she did not want to spend her life in Baltimore.
“When I was about 16, I knew I didn’t want to live in Baltimore. I didn’t know how I was going to leave, but I knew I didn’t want to live there,” she said. “I guess I just didn’t like the atmosphere. I can’t really pinpoint the reason why, but I just knew it was not the place I wanted to be.
“Two of my uncles joined the military, and they were my inspiration. They were in the Marines, and so I was going to join the Marines. It’s been 40 years, so I don’t remember all the details, but I do remember I went to the Marine recruiter and he wasn’t there, so I stuck my head into the Army recruiter (office) and said, ‘Hey, do you know when he will be back in?’
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Ohio native saw successful military career cut short by cancer diagnosis
BY JOHN CLARK HERALD CORRESPONDENT
COPPERAS COVE – Former U.S. Army
Staff Sgt. Jovann Farley was 14 years into her military career and eyeing another promotion when she received a devastating medical report that changed everything.
Born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio, and now a resident of Copperas Cove, Farley was coming off a tour in Korea and on her way to Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) when a routine physical found she had a cancerous lump in her breast. Such a report would be shattering enough on its own, but the diagnosis came only a year after her mother died from breast cancer
“We had just left Fort Bragg, North Carolina, (and) I was in the process of PCSing to Korea,” Farley said. “When my mom passed away in ’94, we left Fort Bragg and went to Ohio to bury her. My family stayed there while I went over to Korea. My mother passed on Easter Sunday, and I flew to Korea on Mother’s Day. My husband had to take care of my children and the estate and everything.
“My tour over there was hard, but my
first sergeant and my company commander were very supportive. They took care of me over there, but my family was back here in the States.
“When I came back, I was doing a physical, and that’s when they found a lump and wanted to do a biopsy. They called me in and said, ‘You have cancer.’
“I was, like, ‘What?’
“I was devastated because I had just lost my mom. I hadn’t even in-processed into my unit yet. We had to sit the kids down and tell them I had a disease that my mother – their grandmother – had. That’s when my daughter said, ‘You must love
Uncle Sam more than you love us, because you’re staying in the Army.’” Jovann joined the military a year after graduating high school in Cleveland in 1979. She was working, but decided she wanted to travel, see the world, and look for opportunities outside of Ohio.
“I wanted to be on my own ... take care of my mother and send her money. I wanted something different,” Jovann said. “I had never been out of Ohio, except for North Carolina, where my mother was from.”
Farley joined the Army in 1980, a year after graduating high school. Basic training was at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, also known by some as Fort “Lost in the Woods,” followed by AIT at Fort Lee Virginia, where she trained as a supply specialist. Then, it was on to her first duty station at Fort Lewis, Washington. She served in Germany, where she met husband of 39 years, George, at the NCO Academy, and was assigned three times to Fort Hood (Cavazos) during her career. One of the most difficult assignments she had came during Operation Desert Shield/ Desert Storm in the Middle East.
“When we came here the first time, I made one trip over to Desert Shield/ Desert Storm to bring the dead bodies back,” Jovann said. “Then, I was here for rear detachment, where I was one of the senior NCOs (assigned) to go with the officers who informed families of a service member’s death.
“It was hard. I think that was harder than going over there to bring the bodies back. To have to talk to a family and let them know.”
It was May 31, 1995, when Farley was diagnosed with breast cancer. Along with that crushing blow, it was her young
PLEASE SEE CANCER, 8
COURTESY PHOTO
Jovann Farley is a 29-year breast cancer survivor and was successfully treated five years ago for ovarian cancer.
TRANSITION
“He said, ‘You don’t want to join the Marines. You want to join the Army. Come on in.’
“The rest is history.”
After a couple months working a summer job after graduation, Donna was off to Fort Dix, New Jersey for basic training and AIT. The folks back home were supportive, but it was not long before she started questioning her decision.
“My mother was nervous,” Donna said. “My grandfather was our father figure (and) he was … he had offered to pay my tuition for college, which in hindsight, I kind of wish – 50/50 – that I had taken that route and come in as an officer. But I told him I was going into the service and he was happy with my decision. He was comfortable with it.
“I was 18 (and) physically fit, but it was (difficult) getting into the routine of everything. I remember being at the (Military Entrance Processing) station, and I had a breakdown. I don’t know if I had an anxiety attack or what, but I started crying. I called my mom and said, ‘I made a mistake. Come and get me.’
“I remember making that initial phone call, but I do not remember calling her back to say I was OK, but I had to have called back because my mom would have come and got me. I don’t really remember that first day, but I’m sure it was total chaos. You don’t know what to expect. But we – the soldiers – kind of formed an alliance. If one soldier had a bad day, we would all help them through it.
“I got through it by the grace of God – and with a lot of help from my mom.” Donna worked in food service throughout her career. She served in the Persian Gulf for a year (2003 to 2004), where along with cooking meals for the troops, she also
participated in dangerous convoy missions
“Our job is cooking (but) we are soldiers first,” Donna said. “We had to do the same things the other soldiers had to do. My MOS was food service, but my initial job was to be a soldier.
“We fed on the compound, and then (Kellog) Brown and Root took over after about four months. When they took over, we started going out on convoys. For instance, I went to town and volunteered at a women’s clinic. One thing I remember is the kids in the middle of the street – no houses; no parents – just waving (American) flags. Some of them were barefoot, and you wondered what they were doing out there
“For me personally, I didn’t have any run-ins with IEDs or snipers or anything like that, but within the battalion, yes they did. Now, we did have (rocket) attacks on the compound. At first you would jump and get all nervous, and then it just became second nature. They used to put IEDs in the middle of the road and cover them up with a trash bag, so anytime I see a trash bag in the street, I’ll go around it.
“It’s been 20 years, and I still have nightmares. Not as often, but I have them sometimes. Something like that makes you have a different outlook on life. It makes you appreciate the smallest of things … makes you appreciate your family more. It was a game-changer
“You can’t see my disabilities. I have disabled plates on my car, and when I get out somewhere, a lot of people look at me, because I’m walking normal. I just look at them and keep moving, because I already know what they’re thinking. It used to bother me (but) now I’m used to it. One lady – I parked in handicap at the bank – got out of the car and bent down to see if I had handicap tags. I was going to say something to her, but engaging in something like that makes both of us a fool.”
Donna left the military following her
tour in Iraq and worked for about eight months in food service for the Army, but disabilities from her time in the combat zone proved too much for her to continue. Then, on December 21, 2010, she received devastating news It was during a routine wellness exam that her doctor found a suspicious spot in one breast. A biopsy confirmed a cancerous lump, and Donna’s world suddenly turned upside down.
“My oldest son was away at college, and the youngest was here,” said Donna, who has five children and seven grandchildren with husband, Tyronne. “My youngest one is wise beyond his years, and he kept asking me why am I going to the doctor so much. I didn’t want to tell him without telling my oldest – and I didn’t want to tell him while he was away at college. I didn’t
COURTESY PHOTO
Copperas Cove military veteran Donna Wilson has been in remission from breast cancer since 2012.
TRANSITION
want to mess up his studies, and I wasn’t sure yet exactly what was going on.
“The nurse’s name was Lisa, and I remember that because that’s my sister’s name. I pretty much had my day all planned out that day. I had two appointments – one in the morning and one in the late afternoon – so I planned on staying in Temple all day.
“When Lisa told me I had breast cancer, I started crying ... I told Lisa, ‘Today is my youngest son’s birthday. I can’t tell him on his birthday.’
“Lisa said, ‘Ma’am, your cancer was caught early enough for us to do something for it. Let us do what we need to do so you can be around for a lot more birthdays.’ That made me feel a little better.”
According to the American Cancer Society, a cancer survivor is anyone who has ever been diagnosed with cancer, no matter where they are in the treatment or after math of their disease. In 2024, an estimated 2,001,140 new cases of cancer will reportedly be diagnosed in the U.S. and 611,720 people will die from the disease
In 2021 (the latest year for available global data), more than 10 million people died of cancer worldwide. That’s 1 out of every 6 deaths. Over 600,000 cancer deaths happen in the U.S. each year and about 80,000 in Canada. The only health condition that kills more people is heart disease
Donna underwent a double mastectomy and has been in remission since 2012. Recovery from her February 14, 2011, surgery was difficult at times, but she did not require chemotherapy or radiation.
“I didn’t need a double mastectomy,
but the doctor recommended it in order for the cancer not to come back in my right breast,” she said. “That way, it is (also) easier to do two (reconstructions) than trying to match one with the other.
“My mom came down for about six months to nurse me back to health. That was her first time to ride a plane, so I always say she’s the real MVP. Of course, everything hasn’t been easy, but I’ve been blessed. The roughest part of everything was the emotional part. Physically, I was in great shape Going to the gym, eating healthy
That’s why I thought they were wasting their time with a biopsy. I just wanted them to hurry up and get this done so I could go on with my life
“What I like to tell people now is, don’t take anything for granted. Get those mammograms. It’s not any fun, but it’s necessary. Don’t worry about scars. Don’t worry about losing your hair. None of that matters. The hair is going to come back. When I was diagnosed, I was, like, ‘Oh, God, I’m going to lose my hair.’ Now, when you see me, my hair is shaved on the sides
“Whatever you go through, try to stay positive, and don’t worry about the scars; the stuff on the outside. The real you is on the inside. If somebody loves you, it won’t matter. We all are scarred. Some of us, you can see our scars (and) some you can’t. If I wear a kind of V-neck blouse, you can see a little bit of my scars. Someone else, their scars may be internal. So don’t worry about any of that.
“If God allows you to get through it and progress, that’s the most important thing.”
Life is good today, Donna says. She considers herself blessed and although the first phase of her military career was a little rough, she has no regrets at all about serving in unifor m.
CANCER
daughter’s reaction that convinced her it was time to leave the service
“I did want to do my 20 (years). As a matter of fact, the following month – in June – I would have made the (E)7 list,” she said. “But when my six-year-old daughter told me, ‘Mom, you love Uncle Sam more than you love us, and you’re gonna leave us like grandma did,’ that’s when I decided I needed to get out.”
Jovann had mastectomy surgery on August 17th and is now considered a 29-year breast cancer survivor. A volleyball, basketball, and track athlete back in high school, she has worked as a personal trainer, worked at a bank and for the state prison system, along with going to school at Central Texas College and officiating youth baseball and basketball, which she continues today It has been a long road that also included
a successful bout with ovarian cancer five years ago, but the mother of two and grandmother of two says life today is better than ever
“I was never told about any counseling or support groups or anything like that, so I joined the Order of the Eastern Star, and told them about my story,” she said. “I needed some support. They took me to Victoria Secrets and bought me my first bra. Took pictures with my new bra on. It was awesome. That’s what I really needed
“Now that I look back on the years I was in the military … I had a great career going. I think I could even have made sergeant major, but knowing what I went through and now being a 29-year breast cancer survivor, I think, ‘Could I have done this still being in the military?’
“Now, I want to be that person or that speaker to say, hey, I know what you’re going through. I feel your pain. People on the outside don’t see that.
“I just want to thank God. He instilled in me being that fighter. You’ve got to be a fighter.”
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Farley is pictured here at AIT at Fort Lee, Virginia, where she trained as a supply specialist
Virginia native settled in Central Texas a er four years in Europe
BY JOHN CLARK HERALD CORRESPONDENT
COPPERAS COVE – Patsy
Palmer was working as a dental assistant when she got the opportunity to leave those mouth mirrors and teeth polishing tools behind and head overseas for a once-in-a-lifetime adventure
“I always knew I wanted to be in the medical field, so I went to San Antonio Junior College and got my degree in dental assisting,” said Palmer, who graduated high school in San Antonio in 1968 and has lived in Copperas Cove for 35 years.“When I was 24, I went to Germany. My parents were there (with the military), and they said, ‘Come on, while you’ve got the opportunity.’
“I had a job as a dental assistant, but I was single and I knew I might never have that opportunity again, so I went and stayed four years in Heidelburg. I worked at USAREUR (U.S. Army Europe) headquarters. I started with a part-time job for six months, and then I was able to get on full-time with a government position. I worked and traveled … it was great.”
Palmer was bor n in Williamsburg, Virginia, and moved with her family to San Antonio when she was two years old. Now retired, and an avid participant in 5K races and half-marathons, she worked for 27 years as a paraprofessional (teacher aide)
for the Copperas Cove Independent School District. She has four children and four grandchildren with her husband, Donald, a retired U.S. Army captain who served a total of 21 years in the military.
Describing herself as “outgoing, but shy at the same time,”
Patsy says she learned quickly after becoming a military spouse that it is important to get involved in the local community and not fall into the trap of staying at home and isolating.
“I initially didn’t work,” she said, “so I belonged to the Officers Wives Club, and I like to bowl, so I was on bowling leagues. I was with the Protestant Women of the Chapel. Probably the biggest adjustment for me was when (daughter) Dawn was born and we were new to Fort Hood (Cavazos).
“Being new to the community; she came a month early; I was at Darnall … it was a whole new experience. I don’t think it would matter where you are, really. Just having that first child is a whole new experience. But we had really good neighbors on post who had children and were really supportive and helpful.
“So I would say finding your community, and getting involved is really important.”
Dawn agreed.
“Absolutely. You have to have adaptability,” Dawn said. “Whether you’re able to take any moment, break it down, and figure out what’s going to be
best. For any military, you have a husband or a dad or a wife or mom who is going to be gone for two weeks – or two years – and what are you going to do while they’re gone?
“I felt I was very blessed that I didn’t have my dad go to war. Not all my friends were as blessed.
“I just feel like if people are thinking of joining the military, or being a spouse in the military, you have to be flexible. You have to be adaptable. You have to be self-sufficient.”
Patsy added:
“You have to have a strong backbone, I think, especially when they’re gone for a year. Find community on post or through church. There’s plenty of spousal groups. When I first came here, there was a gour met cooking group that I met. We met once a month to make gourmet meals, which was exciting because that wasn’t something I ever knew before “So between church activities and all the activities they had at the wives clubs, the support was
great. The people I met were really nice.”
Looking back over the years, Patsy said there were mostly good times to go along with a few rough patches. In short, she enjoyed her years living the military lifestyle – traveling around Europe was one of the more memorable highlights – and says she has no regrets. “Back in the ‘70s, it was a lot less expensive to travel around,” she said. “I learned to
Patsy enjoyed her years living the military
tinues to enjoy traveling with husband, Don, a retired
Army
Retired Copperas Cove educator spent 20 years as a military spouse
BY JOHN CLARK HERALD CORRESPONDENT
COPPERAS COVE – Retired
educator Robin Spencer worked 16 rewarding years as a school teacher and 15 equally rewarding years as a librarian, and the two decades she spent as a military spouse provided opportunities and motivation that helped her reach career goals that began when she was a kid.
“I’m very blessed and grateful for the opportunities and the people that God has put in my life,” said Spencer, a Copperas Cove resident since 1988. “Every job that I ever had, I loved. I was a waitress for many years prior to getting married. I worked three jobs to put myself through my first college, and I loved all of it.
“I just think being able and willing to accept God’s will for you… my faith is really the thing that has seen me through lots and lots and lots of stuff. My grounding force is God.”
Spencer grew up in Walled Lake, Michigan, near Detroit, where she graduated high school in 1979, along with her sweetheart and future husband, Jeffrey. She headed off to college and he went to work. Jeff decided to join the U.S. Ar my in 1980, and they got married in July 1981. Her parents were not overly concerned about their daughter marrying a soldier, Robin says, and neither was she. It did not take long before she realized her new lifestyle could become
complicated.
“My dad was actually stationed at Fort Hood (now Fort Cavazos) back in the ‘50s, and so he was kind of excited about the military. He loved it when we were stationed here and he could come visit,” Robin said. “My mother still says to this day, ‘You took her away from me.’ I was the oldest of four, so there was that, but it was all kind of light-hearted.”
As for Robin, the start of her tenure as a military spouse got off to a bit of a shaky start. She explains: “I knew nothing about military life at all,” she said. “My uncle was drafted and was in Vietnam. My dad only did three years and that was before he was even married, and there was nobody else that I knew that was military affiliated.
“I looked upon it as an adventure. We honeymooned in the Smoky Mountains on the way down to Georgia (Fort Stewart). He had his car and we put everything in a trailer that he and his dad built. When we got there on a Saturday or a Friday or something, he said, ‘Monday, I have to go to the field for two weeks. The guy next door will help you if you need anything.’
“He was a very nice man but apparently there were a lot of drug deals done around there and I had no idea. Right across the street from us was a laundromat – which I was thrilled about because I did not have a washing machine – and apparently that was a drug-dealing place that I
didn’t know about, either.
“We lived in a little roach-infested duplex. There was a mattress and some lawn chairs in the living room. He was an E-3 and they basically said, ‘If the Ar my wanted you to have a wife, they would have issued you one.’
Within a couple months, I started walking around town and I found a better duplex in a better neighborhood, and it wasn’t roach-infested. So, we moved in there and it had living room furniture that was left there, and it was down the street from our church. The library was on the other end of the street, so it was much better
“I got a job as a waitress for a while, and then I got a job at the library. Then I got a job working on post. I looked into going back to school, but the closest university was in Savannah, which was about an hour away, and we also didn’t have the money. I was still paying my loans from my twoyear school.
“I got a job working on Fort Stewart as a tester. That was very interesting… there was a big push back in the early ‘80s, trying to get soldiers to up their ASVAB scores so that they could change their MOS if they needed to There were learning centers on post, and a counselor, and a tutor, and also an MOS counselor. This was only a one-division post, and they were there for every unit.
“This test that I gave was read-
PLEASE SEE SPOUSE, 12
COURTESY PHOTO
Volunteering with Copperas Cove Retired Teachers Association and providing books to Copperas Cove students is one of Spencer’s retirement passions.
EUROPE
FROM PAGE 9
ski and paid $145 for a week. I did Volksmarches. I took the kids, and we learned to ski in Austria and Switzerland. There was a lot to do – and it’s the same here. That’s why central Texas is so great. You’re three hours to Dallas; three hours to Fort Worth; an hour to Austin. You can just get out on the road and go. “I think it was a great experience It helped me to handle situations. As a military spouse, you’re usu-
ally moving around and meeting new people, and I’m very much a people person, so I was really happy. I like meeting new people and getting involved in the community. When people come and they ask basic things, like who is your dentist (and) who is your plumber, I can help with that.
“It helps you to grow as a person. The opportunities are endless, and it’s what you make it. Like life, it’s all about what you make of it. You can either see the glass half-empty or you can see it half-full. I always chose to see if half-full.
“I would definitely do it all over again.”
SPOUSE
ing, writing, and math. In the morning, I’d give a test, then I’d go to another lear ning center and give another in the after noon. I really gained a lot of friends and got to know the military system really well.
“Also during that time, four of us got pregnant at the same time. They always said, ‘Don’t drink the water in the learning centers.’ I had my daughter in 1983, and then we got orders for Germany – right after we got housing. That always happens right? We got housing and within two days, he comes home and says, ‘We got orders.’
Those orders for three years (1985-88) in Deutschland proved a great assignment for the Spencers. Robin called it “the best assignment” of her retired first sergeant husband’s 22-year career.
“I absolutely loved it,” she said. “We were in central Ger many, about an hour from Frankfurt. My son was bor n there in 1986, and I was the mayor of a housing area. We lived in government leased housing, so all the apartments were occupied by the military, but it was in the middle of a Ger man neighborhood.
“They wanted to try and improve American-German relations, so one of the big things that I did was organize block parties each year.”
Organizing neighborhood get-togethers was something that helped Robin avoid the initial loneliness and isolation a lot of spouses feel when they first move overseas
While Germany was probably one of her favorite places to live, her initial introduction after she arrived there was a little bumpy.
“When I first got there, I was devastated,” Robin said. “I had my daughter, and we had non-concurrent travel, because they didn’t want us over there until he had housing. So he went over in June or July and I left on
Labor Day 1985.
“I leave from Detroit and I’ve got an eighthour layover in New York. So I stayed in the USO with my daughter – she was almost two – and then we get to Frankfurt. Remember, I’ve been up all this time and when I get off the plane, I don’t know what to do. I took a class at Fort Stewart, so that I would know the language to some extent, but there I am with a two-year-old daughter; I have her car seat; and I have all of our luggage; and I have no idea where my husband is
“There were no cell phones back then. I didn’t fly very often. I think I had been on a plane twice before that.
“I can remember going out of these doors and there was a crowd waiting for people, and I saw my husband. I was so grateful … then we get in the car and all of a sudden, I realize it’s a stick shift.
“I can’t drive a stick shift and so I burst out crying: ‘I can’t even drive!’
“We went to a steak restaurant and my daughter starts asking questions – ‘Mommy, what’s this? Mommy, what’s that?’ – and they told us to leave. Never mind there was a dog on the floor eating steak, but they wouldn’t allow her to ask questions. I said, ‘Let’s just go to McDonald’s. I’ve got to get something to eat and go to bed.’
During her time in Germany, Robin was able to travel quite a bit and see some of the sites across Europe. She remembers being there when Germany was still divided into East and West following World War II.
“We were able to travel a few places,” she said. “My parents came over and we did a European vacation. We had a really good time. We were a young couple with not much money, so we would never have been able to do something like that. It was great.
“We traveled to Bavaria right after I got over there, and then my brother came to visit us and we went to the Black Forest. We went to Amsterdam, and then when my parents came, we went to Berlin. This was when the Wall was still up, and that was the most intriguing adventure
COURTESY PHOTO
Patsy Palmer (right) and her daughter, Dawn Thomas.