I am Janet Joyce Gough McMurray. I should have graduated in 1957, but went to summer school and skipped my junior year to graduate with the 1956 class. I was only 16, because I started school in California.
I moved from California to Fort Worth in the 4th grade and attended South Fort Worth Elementary. I then went to Rosemont Jr. High and went to summer school two summers to graduate a year early, thus graduating in 1956. But the ’57 class was really “my” class. I would love to communicate with some of my former classmates. My family moved to Washington, D. C. after my freshman year at TCU. I later returned to TCU to graduate. I received my M.Ed from the University of North Texas. My husband and I have lived from Alice to Dalhart, TX and places in between.
I felt embarrassed of that at the time, but seem to enjoy it now! I then went on to graduate from TCU. After my freshman year at TCU, my family moved outside Washington, D.C. for my parents, my sister Gloria (’55), and me to work in various government offices. I was fortunate to work for the then Senate Majority Leader, Senator Lyndon B. Johnson. I did attend the University of Maryland my junior year, but returned to TCU my senior year to graduate. It was there that I met Thomas Clyde McMurray from Decatur, TX. We married July 22, 1961 in Maryland, returned to Texas where we have lived ever since. Clyde and I received our Master’s degrees from UNT. We entered the teaching profession. Clyde taught, coached, and became an administrator. I taught English and Special Ed and also counseled.
We lived in Alice, Killeen, Whitewright, Memphis, Decatur, Dalhart, and have been in Bowie 23 years. We have two children: Tom, who graduated from Texas Tech and is an attorney in Denton and Susan, who graduated from TCU, and after a stint as a flight attendant with AA, has her own decorating business in Decatur. Susan also had a modeling career and was Miss Manhattan and Miss New York City. Tom is married to Charlotte and they have two children: Chloe age 13 and Thomas Christian age 16 months. Susan married Marc Semmelmann who played football at UT 4 years and they have three children: Madeleine age 5, Emily-Anne age 4, and Marcus age 2.
Clyde and I are retired from teaching now and have the Gazebo Bed and Breakfast in our home <www.gazebobnb.com . I also dab in the antique business. We traveled all around the USA camping with our children for 17 years, and Clyde and I have been fortunate to have taken advantage of Susan’s AA flight passes and have toured the 4 countries in the UK, Europe including France and Italy, Greece, Egypt, and Israel. We have also been to all the Canadian provinces but one. We love traveling and antiquing. We are very involved in our community, doing work for the Main Street and Chamber of Commerce and the Methodist Church. I am also “hooked” on genealogy. But our first love is being with our grandchildren. I have fond memories of the “happy days” of Paschal and am looking forward to knowing about others.