TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
What is your favorite Texarkana memory? One of my favorite memories of Texarkana is participating in the Rotary Flag Project. I was a member of Rotaract throughout high school, and our club was responsible for a flag route. Whether we were marking flag bases, placing flags, or picking them up, we had a great time. It was rewarding to partner with the local Rotary clubs and give back to our community. We had our share of adventures, too, like the time we accidentally took off a side mirror in the bank drive-thru! Where was your favorite place to eat in Texarkana? Bryce’s Cafeteria holds a special place in my heart. Every Wednesday night, my whole family—grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins—would gather there for dinner before heading to church activities at Williams Memorial. My go-to meal was fried chicken, broccoli, and mac and cheese. Yum! What was the teen hangout when you lived here? My friend Mary and I loved hanging out at Chili’s and the mall. We would buy out all the striped polos at Maurice’s and then split a skillet queso and a molten chocolate lava cake for dinner. Our friend group spent a lot of time at Cinemark—we saw nearly every new release, from rom-coms to action flicks, and everything in between. Where was your favorite place to shop in Texarkana? My favorite place to shop was Gayle’s, which always had the trendiest clothes with bright colors and vibrant patterns, and my favorite jewelry–Kendra Scott. Gayle Hines was such a gem! She did my mom’s wedding makeup and later did mine as well. Whenever we were in town, we would stop by to shop, and she would take my daughter to Julie’s Deli for a cookie while my mom and I browsed. Were you a Hawk, Leopard, Razorback, or Tiger? I was a Pleasant Grove Hawk and a proud member of the Pride in Motion band, the newspaper staff, Rotaract, and Spanish Club. Who is someone from Texarkana who impacted your life? My grandparents have had a profound impact on my life. Martha and Josh Morriss modeled the importance of faith, education, the arts, and service to others. They also reminded us to savor life’s simple joys— dipping our toes in every stream and savoring a fresh-picked berry. Sam and Dolly McGinnis, or “Granddaddy” and “Mamadoll” to
TXK ROOTS Melanie Tkach
Melanie Tkach was born and raised in Texarkana and attended Pleasant Grove High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science from Texas A&M University, a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis, and a PhD in Occupational Therapy from Texas Woman’s University. Melanie practiced as an occupational therapist for approximately 10 years in acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient therapy settings before transitioning to academia. She is an assistant professor of occupational therapy at the University of Missouri–Columbia. Her research focuses on developing and evaluating assessments and interventions to support transition-age youth with neurodevelopmental disorders and their families. Melanie, her husband, Ben, and their daughter, Claire (9), live in Columbia, Missouri. They enjoy playing board and card games (current favorites are Dutch Blitz and Exit: The Game) and exploring national parks together.
me, always put family first. They rarely missed a school event, and Mamadoll passed her love
of arts, crafts, and baking on to me. What do you love about Texarkana?
The people! My family still lives in Texarkana, so we love spending time with them whenever we visit. I also enjoy attending church at Williams Memorial. It’s such a joy to see people who have known me my whole life and always welcome me back with warm smiles and hugs.
TXK Roots is Texarkana Magazine ’s forum to highlight and honor Texarkana natives who have accomplished big things in the world. These folks may have relocated, but they took the values, education, work ethic, and creativity instilled in them by growing up in this unique border city and used these qualities to blaze extraordinary trails. We asked them to share their thoughts about growing up here. No matter how far from Texarkana they may find themselves, we will always consider them our neighbors and we are proud to claim them as forever members of our extended Texarkana community. After all, “everyone is famous in their hometown!”
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TXK ROOTS
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