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I left Phillips in the
fall of 1963 to attend West Texas State University. Lived in Canyon and
Amarillo until moving to the Houston, TX area January 1968 because my
husband, Bruce Mahan, had been recruited fresh out of college by Shell
Chemical Company. I have lived in the Houston area the rest of my life.
I stopped my education when we married in 1965; however, I have since
graduated from the University of Houston--Clear Lake with a BS double
major in Behavioral Sciences and Women Studies and worked toward a Masters
in Public and Private Management before becoming a grandparent. That was
the end of my formal education. I worked for NASA at Johnson Space Center
for 26 years. NASA was very good to me and I enjoyed all my positions
there--although some seemed more "glamorous" than others. The people I
met there left more of a lasting impression than any particular position I
held. However, the roles of grandparent and volunteer surpass any
vocational positions. I am amazed and humbled by the deep joy I
receive from serving Christ as a grandparent and through the church as a
HOPE counselor and adult Bible teacher/student. I say teacher/student
because, as any teacher actively engaged in teaching knows, teachers learn
as much, if not more, than their students.
Growing up in Phillips
afforded me an excellent undergraduate education, including great
extracurricular experiences such as band and cheer leading; close
proximity to my extended family; wonderful school and church friends; and
a great place to roam and enjoy the great Panhandle country. My brother,
Don, and I, along with some of the kids on my street, spent hours upon
hours in the summers climbing around in the canyon at the end of our
street, sliding down "Devil's Mountain", walking all the way past Dixon
Creek and the Canadian River breaks to the Northwest and to the "Indian
corn grinders" and Spring Creek to the Southeast. I think Texas is the
greatest state in the Union, and the Panhandle is beautiful after a good
rain. Too bad the wind seldom quits blowing! |
Although there were
periods in my younger adult life when I lost sight of the values I
learned while growing up in Phillips, those values were the very building
blocks God used to build a solid foundation that sustained me during low
periods of my life and have brought smiles to my face and to those of my
grandchildren when I share with them stories about my growing up years.
Thankfully, children
(and adults, for that matter) can learn from their mistakes as well as
their successes, because I have been married and divorced twice. (Bruce
Mahan, father of my children, and I divorced 1983; and Ed Dromgoole, whom
I married in 1984, divorced in 1989. I don't understand why God didn't
give up on me, but thankfully He didn't (and still doesn't) and
instead blessed me immeasurably with three precious children: Amy
Beth Mahan (born and died 1967), Todd Bruce Mahan (born 1969, lives with
his family in Frisco, TX), and Leigh Andress Zepeda (born 1975, lives with
her family in Deer Park, TX (about 2 miles from me)). Todd and Leigh
have enriched my life in so many ways, most especially through the way
they and their spouses are raising my five amazing grandchildren: Andress
Zepeda, age 14; Savannah Mahan, age 12; Zoe Zepeda, age 11; Mallory
Mahan, age 9; and Jacob Zepeda, age 3. Andress is very active in her
church youth activities and loves ballet; Savannah is active in church and
school activities; Mallory, loves Lacrosse and cheer leading. This
Andress received a Gold Key award at the Harris County Regional Level in the
Scholastic Art/Writing Contest in Journalism and received a Silver Key
award at the National Level. She will be traveling on an all expenses
paid trip to New York City where she will be recognized at Carnegie Hall
for her writing accomplishments. Zoe is her school president and is active
in sports; Jacob is already a very good golfer and knows more about smart
phones than I do.
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