When I finished at Paschal, I continued the purple and white color theme and attended TCU, graduating in 1960 with a B.A. in history and Spanish along with a teaching certificate.
After searching for a job (not many people believe a history major doesn’t want to teach but would willingly work as a secretary) for about 6 months, I went to work for the Equitable Society of New York as a receptionist. Within the year, I was back at TCU as secretary to the Registrar. I remained there until September 1963 when I moved to Washington, DC to work in the Foreign Service. I was living in DC at the time JFK was killed. I can still remember that day vividly, but that’s another story.
When I returned to Fort Worth, I worked for an insurance company as executive secretary (big name for glorified secretary), eventually leaving to teach for the next 6 years at Brantley-Draughon Business College. Best 6 years of my life! I enjoyed every minute—and even the students.
In 1972 I married Carl R. Perry. We will celebrate our 31st wedding anniversary in 2003. In 1979 we established our own pest control company and remained in business until May 1999 when we sold the business. At the time we first went into business, I also established my secretarial service (can’t sit still for a minute!), and in 2003, I still have my secretarial service. Never say “retire”!
Never really believing I could ever be a painter, I attended classes in “tole and decorative painting” in 1976 and found out that I can paint (in spite of what my elementary art teacher said)! Two of my Christmas ornaments are in the Smithsonian collection, as well as ornaments in the Society of Decorative Painter’s collection at their national office in Wichita, KS. The ornaments in the Smithsonian collection were painted for the Christmas trees that are displayed in the Museum of American History, Washington, DC.
I am a member of the (International) Society of Decorative Painters; (current secretary) of the Fort Worth Decorative Painters (also a founding member); (current secretary) of Bluebonnet Chapter of NSTDP, Inc.; the United Daughters of the Confederacy; and the United States Daughters of the War of 1812 (past secretary). I am also the editor of a quarterly journal published by the Stovall Family Association, Inc., which is a 40-page magazine and has subscribers throughout the US and in some European countries. (It won a second place in a national competition the first year I edited it.) I have been involved in genealogy now for almost 10 years. Now I get to apply my history training!
When Bill Frost sent me the first e-mail regarding the possibility of a website for PHS’56, I was quite impressed with his plans. Now, I’m even more impressed with the website. It looks like it will cover just about everything.
Sandra O’Donnell Perry