‘I’ve always loved anything to do with history’
“When I was going to high school in Anahuac, the person I really admired was my world history teacher, Mr. Broussard. He made learning about history so much fun.
“He used to have these little sayings like, ‘Now we’re going to slide into Greece.’ Or, ‘It’s time to roam over to Rome.’ Those are some of the things I took with me into my teaching career.
“He was a World War II veteran. He lost his leg in the war, but never talked about it. He was just an engaging teacher, and a really nice man. I never got to tell him how much he impacted my life and my decision to go into history.
“I’ve always loved anything to do with history. It’s probably because there’s so much of it in my family. I’m a fifth-generation Texan. My great-great-great-great-grandfather fought at the Battle of San Jacinto with Sam Houston. Our ancestral history goes back to the ‘Old Three Hundred’ — the original settlers in Texas. Where our family ranch house is located is part of the original Mexican land grant.
“My mother had the wanderlust that I do, wanting to travel and see things. Anything with a historical background, I’m all for it.
“I’ve been to a lot of places in the states. I’ve been to Vicksburg. I’ve been to Mount Rushmore and the Badlands. I’ve been to Pearl Harbor in Hawaii.
“In Europe, I’ve been to the Bastille, which is now just a monument in France. I’ve been to Normandy and done the beaches. That was unbelievable, because I especially love World War II history. I’ve been to Greece, and saw the Acropolis and Parthenon, and Olympia, where the first Olympics were held. I’ve been to Machu Picchu in Peru. There are no words for it, knowing that you’re going up to this ruin that’s hundreds and hundreds of years old. So many other places. And as a teacher, I would use pictures that I took to go along with stories in my classes.
“I just love to travel. With COVID, and other issues in our family, it’s not been possible as much. But I have a bucket list of places I still want to see. One day, I’m going to make it happen. I’m definitely ready to get back out there.”
— Melanie Rayner
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