Hometown: Lubbock;
Present City: Dallas;
Education: B.A. History from Baylor University, M.S. Business Management from SMU;
Profession: Estate manager;
Tell us about your family.
My parents, Gordon and Lori, live in Lubbock and Dallas, and they are both Baylor alumni. My older sister, Rachel, and her husband, Jon, teach in the mathematics department at Baylor and split their time, as it permits, between Waco and England. I love being Aunt Ellie to their two kids, Calvin, 3, and Anna, 1. My younger sister, Caroline, has lived in Malibu and Nashville for school and recently moved to Austin for work. I also have a wonderful calico cat named Sassy adopted from Fuzzy Friends Rescue. Sassy is an expert in window watching and Sunday naps.
Any favorite hobbies?
Baking, reading, gardening, hiking and pickleball. I also enjoy raising and releasing butterflies every year I can.
What are your favorite places to travel?
Some of my favorite places are Santa Fe, Maine and British Columbia. Most summers, I return to the Davis Mountains in West Texas for some incredible stargazing and time at Paisano Baptist Encampment.
What brought you to Wilshire and when?
I have been attending Wilshire intermittently since I moved to Dallas in 2018 and officially joined as a member in January 2023. I grew up in a Baptist household but have spent time at Methodist and Episcopal churches. Wilshire’s exceptional approach to worship and deeply moving music ministry kept drawing me back. It has been a joy to connect with such welcoming members of the congregation that truly reflect Christ’s light.
Where are you engaged at Wilshire?
I teach the kindergarten Sunday School class and am also involved with a book club and the mahjong group.
What has surprised you most about Wilshire?
Wilshire’s unwavering and clear commitment to its values in action is an inspiration. I was both surprised and encouraged to find a space with worship opportunities supporting those facing grief and loss.
What’s something interesting most people would not know about you?
One of my projects in 2020 was listening to all the Beatles’ albums in chronological order of their release. It was a fascinating and fun trip through music history!
*If you are interested in being featured in an upcoming I Am Wilshire feature, contact Carolyn Murray (cmurray@wilshirebc.org)