“Texas A&M asks the lettermen to come back every year for basketball. They invited us in December for the Feb. 3 game against South Carolina. I noticed that Wally Moon had signed up to come, so I called him and we talked a little bit. We were looking forward to seeing each other, getting a chance to reunite and enjoy a nice weekend. But it turned out I had a medical thing happen. I was in the hospital for a few days, and I couldn’t go. So I missed seeing Wally. Then the next Saturday, my son called early and said, ‘I’ve got some bad news. Wally Moon died.’ That was really hard to hear.

(Note: Woody Walker passed away on Feb. 9, 2021.)

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“I grew up during the Great Depression. Unless you lived in those times, it’s hard to imagine how poor people were back then. We didn’t have much. So when I became interested in playing basketball, my mother took a gallon syrup bucket and nailed it to a wall in our home. She made a rag ball for me, and I developed my touch by shooting at that bucket.

“Looking back on what happened to me, I’m so grateful that someone from a little town (Palestine) in East Texas could earn a scholarship to play basketball at Texas A&M. Especially since I was just 5-foot-7½ and weighed 135 pounds, which is still the record for the shortest men’s basketball player at A&M. Then to win the team’s defensive player of the year award in my junior season, and for us to reach the NCAA playoffs for the first time, it’s pretty amazing to think about.

(Note: Woody Walker passed away on Feb. 9, 2021.)

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“I walked into a store and an employee asked, ‘Are you Miss Swamp?’ I froze like a deer in headlights and said, ‘Yes, but no one has called me that in almost 40 years.’ She said, ‘You taught my daughter in kindergarten. She is now a 44-year-old nurse in Houston with two kids of her own in school.’

“I was shocked thinking how fast she recognized me and excited that I must not have changed much after all those years.

“She told me, ‘You really made an impression on those kids. And their parents really appreciated it.’ She took my picture with her phone and texted her daughter asking, ‘Do you know who this is?’ She showed me her daughter’s reply: ‘Miss Swamp!’”

Fresh out of Texas A&M 39 years ago, the kindergarten teacher had some challenging students who caused her to go home in tears.

“I had to do something about the kids getting to me, so I checked out the book, ‘Miss Nelson is Missing!’ from the library. It’s an adorable book about a teacher with an unruly class who stayed home sick one day, sending Miss Viola Swamp (Miss Nelson in costume) as the sub. Miss Nelson was nice. Miss Swamp was not. With the sub, the kids couldn’t talk, play or even laugh all day.

“I read that story to my students and I ‘stayed home sick’ the next day, sending Miss Swamp instead. It was really me in costume with my mom’s wig, black dress, dark makeup, and even the green and yellow socks. The day after that, I came back and got hugs from all my students. They said, ‘Please don’t send us Miss Swamp anymore. We’ll be good!’ They had good behavior the rest of the year.

“Now, you can see why I miss teaching kindergarten. It was such fun!”

— Sallie Daniel Sherman

At age 62, Sallie is retired from full-time teaching. But she is in her 40th year working with youth, as she instructs a children’s choir at her church.

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“I got pretty sick when I was 17. I lost a bunch of weight, like 23 pounds, within a span of seven to 10 days. Nobody could figure out what was going on. I saw multiple doctors and I got multiple opinions. It ended up being something that is totally controllable. I had a pretty severe case of irritable bowel syndrome.

“So I decided to take things into my own hands and manage it myself. I decided I would self-control it through nutrition. Before anybody really knew about gluten, I went gluten free. And I went to FODMAP, a type of diet where you stay away from certain acidic foods. I slowly learned what my triggers were, and I got myself to a healthy state without needing too much doctor intervention. I can’t drink beer. I have to stay away from some acidic foods. And wheat is a trigger, too.

“I was drinking a lot of beer at 17. That was my senior year in high school. At the time, it was just my dad and me. My brother was in college, and I had other step-siblings who also were off at Texas A&M. Nobody was really around because my dad traveled a lot. It was really just me in the house most of the time.

“But my dad is a real self-sufficient person, and he raised five very self-sufficient kids. So I decided I would get myself under control, and that’s exactly what I did. That’s what led me into the field of nutrition. When I began managing my situation, it became a lifestyle. Then I started to really dive into the science of nutrition. It’s a fascinating field, and it’s so important.”

— Rebecca Kenefic

Related:

• Making sure kids are fed is the most important thing
• She wants to ensure nutritious meals for students

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“I don’t usually start writing the beginning of a poem. I start in the middle and build around it. No matter how you approach it, you want every line to be impactful. You want to say something that will move someone.

“I feel like my best poems come whenever there’s a sudden change. I don’t adapt that well, so writing about it is very helpful. A neighbor recently committed suicide, and I wrote a poem that talked about some good memories and how we’re going to really miss him moving forward.

“I also write a lot about relationships. Starting at a young age I would really dive into my relationships, which probably wasn’t the greatest idea. But I’m in a much happier relationship now. I think you usually write about what you know, and I think I know about love. As much as a 20-year-old can.”

— EmmaLee Newman

Related:

• Local poetry community making itself heard

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“I went to Texas A&M and got my degree in wildlife and fisheries sciences. I intended to be a fisheries biologist, but life had other ideas.

“My dad passed away, so I ended up in the family business managing drug stores. Through the years I also worked at a chemical plant as a lab technician. I worked at a bank as an analyst. I did oil and gas title work. And I’ve been managing storage facilities for about three years now. Give me more time and I’ll probably think of a few other things that I’ve done.

“But I have no regrets. I’m satisfied with where I am in life. As it says in the good book, I’ve learned to be content in all things. Whatever’s going on: good times, bad times, ups, downs; there are pros and cons with everything. I just prefer to concentrate on the pros.”

— David Dannelley, 61

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“When I was growing up, my mom called me a social butterfly. In high school, I always wanted to be out doing something, seeing somebody, hanging out. That continued in college, where I kind of struggled with prioritizing my time. I’d be like, am I going to do my homework or am I going to hang out with some people?

“It came to a point where my grades weren’t that great. I had to sit down, really look in the mirror and figure out what’s more important. Did I come to college to have a social life or to get a degree?

“I graduated from Texas A&M this past January. So I think I was able to finally strike that balance. But I’m still a very social person.”

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