TEXARKANA MAGAZINE
What is your favorite Texarkana memory? This is a tough one! Something that routinely comes up in my family is when my best friend Charley Swann and I dressed up as mermaids for Mr. Howard Glick’s 50th birthday party. We learned a valuable lesson that night; you’re never too “old” for a good time! Where was your favorite place to eat in Texarkana? Growing up, my family ate at both TLC and Dixie Diner on a weekly basis. When I was around five years old, I accidentally locked myself in the restroom at TLC. Mr. Tom Scott crawled through the ceiling and dropped down to let me out! I’ll never forget his face looking down at me from way up there! Now that I live in Florida, when I visit home, I can’t get to Big Jake’s or Zapata’s fast enough! What was the teen hangout when you lived here? As young teenagers, we were walking Central Mall or hanging out at Movies 8. Later, we were taking various trails leading
to various places—but those details are top secret! Were you a Hawk, Leopard, Razorback, or Tiger?
Who ya with??? T-HIGH! When we were too young to drive, my grandpa would take us to “cruise the line” in the back of his pickup during rivalry week. We really thought we were something out there hollering across the lanes at other kids! How do you describe Texarkana to your friends? First, I have to explain to them how to pronounce it and where it is. Second, I tell them how blessed I was to have grown up when and where I did. As kids we could roam the town on foot, horseback, four wheelers, bikes, cars...we were just cut loose and had the time of our lives. Growing up here, I had the opportunity to do so many different things. I’m a little city and a little (maybe mostly) country—a former debutante who also knows how to clean crappie (my favorite food, by the way)! Who is someone from Texarkana who impacted your life? Bill and Donna Hale, Karen Campisi, and Jared Gibson. These folks poured so much time into me through the churches I attended as a child and teen. To this day, I find myself recalling the lessons they shared and have even quoted them to my own children. What do you love about Texarkana? Community. Everyone I grew up with feels like family, and as Mrs. Paula Madden recently said to me, “Once family, always family.” We all stay connected and are cheering one another on from near and far. Even if we haven’t spoken in-person for over a decade, we are going to hug and chat like no time has passed when we bump into one another! What do you miss about Texarkana? So much, but it’s mostly the people. It is such a warm and welcoming place to come home to.
TXK ROOTS Jordan Kennedy Evans Jordan Kennedy Evans, a proud Texarkana native, now calls Sarasota, Florida, home with her husband David and their two daughters, Willa Mae (6) and Abby Jean (2). Professionally, Jordan serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Native American Advancement Foundation (NAAF). Under her leadership, NAAF has expanded its impact across the Tohono O’odham Nation, securing state and federal funding while cultivating partnerships that are both culturally appropriate and community-centered. She brings experience from previous roles in professional motor sports, where she managed high-profile partnerships and large-scale events. Jordan earned dual Bachelor of Arts degrees in Philosophy and Political Science from Wake Forest University, with additional studies at Tecnológico de Monterrey in Querétaro, Mexico.
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!”
82
TXK ROOTS
Made with FlippingBook - Online catalogs