Dorothy Veale:  

I was born in Valley Baptist Hospital June 24, 1949, but my mom was just visiting her folks in Weslaco at the time and I grew up in Houston. I did come back to the Valley for summer and Christmas visits. I stayed one summer when I was 13 at the Girl Scout Camp Lula Sams in Brownsville. My grandma was the camp director and my Aunt Susan was the lead swimming teacher. Those were happy days. More happy days followed in 1967-68 when I had my freshman year at Pan Am and again stayed with my grandparents when grandma was a botany/biology instructor at the college. Then John Robert Veale (whose dad was a Christian Church minister in San Antonio after having started his family in Edinburg at the Church there back in 40's)' and I met at church camp in the hill country near Kerrville. He had cousins from Harlingen: David, Mark & Bobby who also came to camp. Lotsa Veale boys running around at that time. He and I met at camp when I was 14 and started writing when I was 16. We're about to celebrate our 39th anniversary the day after Christmas this year. Married John Robert Veale,my church camp sweetheart in 1970 while we were at University of Houston. Started out teaching second grade, but paused for births of 2 boys, 1 girl, followed by a 3rd son (10-year spread). Was a very busy, on-the-go not stay-at-home (but unemployed) mom...always involved with other moms and kids in babysitting co-ops, food co-ops, day camps, art, sewing, guitar, gardening..AAUW Nursery School, Orange Childbirth Education Classes, La Leche League Houston,Beaumont, Orange,San Antonio (and thru my daughter in Athens,GA .We moved about 10 times total to be closer to school and work in and around Houston followed by a brief sojourn in McAllen and briefer still in San Benito in the Valley and then (7 years in Orange, Texas) and finally to our present home since 1985 in San Antonio, Texas. I substitute taught all ages for a while when the youngest was about 8. Homeschooled for 2 years; sold Tupperware during the 50th anniversary of the product (Saw Kathy Norton Kent during that period). My current fun job since December of '98 is overnight security guard at SeaWorld. My grandchildren delight in telling that their "Nanny" gets to babysit Shamu. I love swapping recipes and plants (cuttings, seeds,etc). A friend once told me that trying to follow my conversation was like chasing a butterfly. I also love to crochet and am always making baby blankets for babies and grandbabies of friends at work. Joyce Jozwiak's project for helping the elderly is so needed everywhere. I was impressed and encouraged to read about it in the e-mails from our class reunion communications. My mom ( died Dec 12. 2012 at age 89) adjusted to life in Kerrville after losing her home of 55 years on Hardwood Lane, Hou, Tx in Tropical Storm Allyson (my childhood home is no longer there). Our hearts go out to all those visited by Hurricane Ike. I hope everyone's doing OK now. If I find I'm getting steamed about something..or someone..I take a walk. While in Athens, Ga temporarily for 6 months I was lucky to have a little city park on the Oconee River nearby. We took the "Ben Burton" trail from a street that runs behind my dau...Expand for more