By: Kathy Weston
Born and raised a Texan! It all started in Breckenridge, TX in Stephens County. My childhood was a typical Baby Boomer experience with my parents buying their first, newly built house for $8,000. It was a small-town experience with undeveloped areas nearby which gave me the opportunity to explore rugged soils and all the creatures that lived there. I spent lots of time observing huge Red Harvester ant beds and would bring home small horned toads for further examination. They were the size of a nickel with soft, round bellies. I have one older sister who did not join me on my explorations but spent hours with me on our front porch playing the game of “Jacks”. (Tarleton students will need to Google this). Summers were spent riding my bike with friends in the neighborhood, swimming at the city pool and some special adventures with a group of five or six little girls who would spend the weekend at Possum Kingdom Lake learning to water ski. One family had a boat and cabin at PK Lake and would invite all of us to go along.
After graduating from Breckenridge High School, I headed to Texas Technological College now (Texas Tech University.) It was a wonderful experience… I am a true Red Raider fan. Upon graduation from Texas Tech with a Business Administration degree in Marketing, I landed a job at Foley’s Department Stores in Houston in the Executive Buyer’s Program. So, yes, from Breckenridge, TX to downtown Houston!
I met and married my husband, Pete, during my career at Foley’s. I soon realized that retail business was not meeting my needs and began to explore the field of education. I switched gears and enrolled in Houston Christian University to work toward a Degree in Education. I was on the fast track and graduated and from Houston Christian with an Education Degree and master’s at the same time. My degree in education took me on a 30-year career in Houston Public Schools with most of that time in secondary school administration. I am a big supporter of public schools and have always been drawn to middle and large high schools that housed students with poverty and dysfunctional families. My experience was that these young adults appreciate being respected and welcomed guidance. I am now fully retired and on to new adventures such as Prairie Oaks Master Naturalists. I split my time between Palo Pinto County and Houston. I became aware of the Master Naturalist Program at Nature Fest and immediately was interested in this chapter because all the things I could learn about the North Central Texas ecosystems. When I learned that Prairie Oaks also incorporated Tarleton University students, I knew I wanted to be part of the group.
My immediate family consists of a large group of boys of all ages. I have two grown sons, one living in Bogotá, Colombia and the other in Houston. Now we have added five grandsons to the mix. I have attended thousands of youth baseball games because my boys and the following generations have always enjoyed the sport.
What you will find me doing most every day is hiking and walking with my boxer, Jesse, as well as “continuing” to restore overly, grazed land in Palo Pinto County back to a suitable habitat. Thank you, Prairie Oaks Master Naturalist, for providing the resources to move the land process along.