KILGOROUND
LINDA BALLARD

"With every change of the oilfield, I have seen a change in Kilgore," said Justine Moore Stanley.

"Kilgore used to be called the 'Biggest Little City in the Country' because we had it all. We didn't have to go anywhere for anything, it could be found right within our reach. We had a very active country club and we had name bands for entertainment on the weekends as we would catch them in-between appearances as they traveled through.

"But, things changed when the chains (stores) started moving in and our individually-owned businesses started moving out. What was once a bustling little city is now a quiet suburban community. It's been fun and I have seen the best of it…"

Justine was born in Corsicana to Harriet and V.B. Moore. She had one brother, Denny. Her father worked for Magnolia Oil Company in Dallas and during the height of the oil boom he was trans-

ferred to East Texas. "He would not move us into Kilgore at the time as he considered it too wild for his family," said Justine. "Instead he moved us to Henderson. In Henderson I met Deana Bolton. We became very good friends.

"My mother always said I was born running, and she was right," said Justine. I have been active all of my life. I loved to dance as a child. When I was five years old, I stuffed cotton in my house shoes so I could stand on my toes. When my dance teacher saw I was determined to dance, she insisted on toe shoes and I never had to stuff cotton in them again.

"We moved to Kilgore when I was in the seventh grade. Kyle Bates was my math teacher at Campus Ward. The classes were very large and they switched me from 7B1 to 7A1 and I couldn't have Mr. Bates anymore. I thought my life was ruined, but I learned to like Mr. Weeks just as much and everything was just fine.

"As a freshman in high school, I was nominated as football queen. There were four nominees and we were told we had to appear on the football field on horseback. I had never been on a horse and I was terrified. Afterwards, I asked my mother if I looked stupid and all she said was 'Well, you leaned a lot.' I leaned a lot all right, just trying to hold on!

"I was very active throughout school and was a member of the National Honor Society. At the age of 16, I attended Texas Christian University and I got sick and had to slow down. The doctors wouldn't let me take P.E. so I chose to work with the U.S.O.

"I had met my husband, Ed Stanley in high school, but we were both dating someone else. He attended Texas A&M and one weekend when we were both home, we had some friends determined we were going to get together. He got drafted but chose to go into the Air Corp where he flew B-17s. After the war, we married and had four children that we fondly referred to as the two kings and the two queens.

"Through the years, I've worked at practically every board this town had to offer from the Crisis Center Board to East Texas Treatment Center Board to PTA, FTA and on and on. Ed had been an active member of the school for twenty three years and was still a member when he died," she said.

"Justine worked the last ten years for Mike Joseph at Daiches Jewelers until it closed in 2007. "My son called me and said, "mother, don't you go home and sit down." "I took his advice and went to work at the Kilgore College Rangerette Showcase.

"All of my family has been very supportive of me. And I tell my friends to please find something to do. That is the secret of life and it keeps you healthy. Stay active," she said. She should know, she was born running."

+++

Happy Birthday today to Tammy Sherrod, Amanda Duran, Josh Wood, Larry Smith, Ruben Martin, Rene Bryant, Lisa Ann Odom, Gregory Hawkins, Dana Millwood, Logan Greenberg.

Happy Anniversary today to Mr. and Mrs. Matthew Caldwell.