Carol Rose Miller Francis

Belton, TX

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My bio … hmmmmm where to begin.  My adventure started the summer after I graduated (and finished wheat harvest) when my parents left me in Canada for five weeks to visit relatives (my first Mom was a Canadian citizen).  From there I took the train across British Columbia to California to spend another two weeks with an aunt.  I got home in time to pack and head for Abilene, TX,
and Hardin-Simmons U. 

I attended two years and got married.  I was presented a PHT (putting hubby thru) certificate and was promised that I would get the real degree when we were settled.  Little did I know how long it would take!  We moved every 3-4 years:  Brownfield, Artesia and Carlsbad, NM, Amarillo, Temple, Farmer's Branch, Lubbock, Temple (again), Amarillo (again but for 12 years this time), Killeen, and Lake Belton.  I attended seven different colleges during this time, re-entered some of them on my educational merry-go-round, and finally earned a BBA in Management from U. of Mary Hardin-Baylor (even though my last semester was taken at Texas Tech).  I earned my teaching certificate in business from Tech and started my vocational certification there.  

My first teaching job was Office Admin. Co-op in Belton (requiring another trip to college …U.of North Texas for  certification.  On my second move to Amarillo I was offered a job teaching Marketing Co-op; therefore, back to UNT and another certification.  My major advisor talked me into becoming a Vocational Counselor (now called CATE, Career and Technology Education), which meant more school, some at Amarillo College, West Texas State, and back to UNT for my MEd in counseling.  

I taught at Amarillo High School (never thought I would yell FOR the Sandies!) and was a counselor there for 8 1/2 years.  I am starting my 6th year as CATE Counselor for the Killeen ISD.  I had a special shirt made for the times we are to wear our "College" shirts to school.  On the front it says, "Schools I Have Attended", the back says, "I Support Higher Education", and lists all nine colleges and universities I have attended (which now included Univ. of Calif.- Davis and Univ. of Wisconsin).  I don't know if I am stupid or just plain stubborn since it took me 24 years to get the first piece of paper!

I was married the first time for thirty-two years, and, as Garth sings, "I could have missed the pain, but I would have missed the dance!"  The dance included making wonderful friends in all the places I lived and worked … IMCC, Texas Instruments, Proctor and Gamble, Diamond Shamrock, Mobil, Office of Nuclear Isolation (DOE), and the blessings of my children (and now
grandchildren). 

My first, Coyle, lives in Carrollton and works as a mortgage banker in Plano. He has three children, sisters, Jordan-13 and Courtney-10 and little brother Caden-4.  Cayle has just moved to Forney from Alamagordo, NM and is a football coach in Kaufman.  He was a coach in Temple for 9 years.  Both graduated from Temple HS and Stephen F. Austin State U. and were centers for the Lumberjacks.  Cayle has two boys, Caleb-6 and Clayton-4.  I was blessed with a real, live ange!.  Chandra was born with spina bifida and lived until she was 8, and that is a story within itself.  When the boys were 15 and 7, we adopted Cynthia.  She graduated from Amarillo HS and now lives in Killeen with her two boys, Colton-7 and Terry-3.  We also have our 4-legged child, Jake, a miniature Schnauzer.

A year after I divorced, a friend convinced me that I needed to have mediation training and become a certified, volunteer mediator/family mediator for the Dispute Resolution Center in Amarillo.  I wasn't interested in meeting anyone but DID.  My present husband, Bill Francis, was also in the training.  He was a partner in the accounting firm of Dozier, Pickens and Francis.  We met on April Fool's Day, married the following Halloween, went to Disney World for our honeymoon, and haven't stopped going and having fun. We will celebrate #10 this year with a cruise to Roitan, Belize and Cancun.  (At our age, this is equivalent to at least 25 years!).  

Bill had a 5th wheel and we spent summers, spring break, Christmas vacation, etc. traveling.  Last year's cruise to Alaska was state number 50 in our travels.  We have also traveled across Canada and Mexico.  This past summer we drove 4925 miles to
Boxford, MA, to visit Bill's son and four beautiful grandchildren, and came back home via the Atlantic seaboard.  We were in 18 states and thru Washington DC again. We decided that we were tired of pulling the big trailer so have gone back to a popup, which still allows us to camp without sleeping on the ground!  The travel is wonderful, and I hope that those of you with that desire get to see your dreams come to fruition.

I have done volunteer work with pediatric oncology patients at Scott and White Hospital and was also in the recovery room as the first group of volunteers that were allowed in a restricted area.  Have been in Junior League, worked with March of Dimes, etc. but have just settled into the work of grandmothering and church attendance now.  I have gotten lazy.  I collect cookbooks and Beanie Babies, enjoy cooking, needlework and working in our yard (trying to corral two acres of virgin land).  Bill wanted to leave Amarillo because of the cold and snow, and I refused to
move any further south than Central Texas.  We built a house on a bluff that overlooks Lake Belton and have plenty of room for visitors.  

50th Reunion Update - August 2008