Glenda Burns Minniece

Memorial Day, 2010 found Glenda and husband John in Brittany, France participating in a moving ceremony at this American Cemetery. Click here to view photos and read the narrative of that trip. Glenda also provided a 6 page article about the organization and the cemetery they visited. Download Les Fleur de la Memoire. Don't miss reading about this very moving piece of history. (You will probably have to go to the dropdown item "view" at the top of your screen and zoom to 100% in order to read the article and view the photos.)

 
 

Now here is Glenda's autobiography (double click on any photo to see enlarged image)

My family lived on a farm in East Texas until we moved to Houston. I attended Bonner Elementary for 5th and 6th grade before moving on to Deady and Milby. My older brother, Allen Neil, and my sister, Susan, attended Deady and Milby. He was in the class of 1956, then graduated from Texas A & M in 1960, the same year I graduated from Milby. She was in the class of 1957, and graduated from the University of Texas in 1961.

As for me, the idea of a large university seemed overwhelming so I made the wise decision to attend Stephen F. Austin State College (now University) in Nacogdoches. I went year-round and finished in three years (1960-1963). My maternal grandfather died at the end of my freshman year, so my grandmother came to Nacogdoches to live with me as a compromise with her nine children who all wanted her to live with them rather than live alone. She and I went to her farm every weekend, but I had a fiancé stationed in Korea, so weekend dating wasn’t a problem. After I graduated, my grandmother went back to her farm and lived alone for several years.

HISD hired me to teach 4th grade at Patterson Elementary and during that time my engagement ended amicably. After I had taught for one year, I decided that I would love to travel, so I went to work for Continental Airlines as a flight attendant (we were called “hostesses” in 1964). During the twenty-one years I worked for them, I was stationed in Denver, Los Angeles, Dallas, and Houston. While I was in Los Angeles, Continental had a MAC (Military Airlift Command) contract to fly troops to and from Viet Nam, so I flew that route for two years. We had layovers in Honolulu, Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines, and Kadena Air Force Base in Okinawa. For a time we had layovers on Wake Island when the runway in Honolulu was being repaired. In the 1967 photo with the flight attendants in Honolulu, I'm second from right.

In 1970 I transferred to Dallas, then transferred in ’71 to Houston where I met John, and we married in 1973. He had four children from his first marriage. John is an attorney who prefers business to law. He is also a former Marine and devoted to the Corps. Semper Fi! During my years with Continental we traveled extensively, sometimes with and sometimes without the children. My two favorite trips were the three week trip we took to South Africa and the crossing from New York to Southampton, UK aboard the QEII. Although I haven’t been everywhere I might like to go, I have visited every continent except Antarctica as well as every state in the good ole USA.

In 1985 I took an “early out” from Continental, retaining travel privileges. Shortly thereafter John and I moved to Marfa, Texas, into his maternal family home. The picture shows an airline friend visiting. It was fun to see the cowboys (yes, real cowboys) around the area. John’s great-grandfather, grandfather, uncles, and extended family were ranchers. It wasn’t unusual to see sights such as two lads on horseback at the Dairy Queen drive-up window. I wish I’d taken a picture! While we lived there I worked as secretary to his step-brother who ran the family mining business. The first day my brother-in-law called me into his office to take a letter, I thought he was kidding! My secretarial skills improved, though, and I was able to do a respectable job until my sister-in-law recovered from her lengthy illness and was able to return to work. After that I worked as a loan teller in the bank in Alpine. While we lived in Marfa I became active in little theater and also founded a Shakespeare reading group. I’m not very “clubby” but did get involved in two women’s clubs and enjoyed it.

After a few years, we returned to Houston and I returned to my first beloved profession, teaching, this time with Cypress-Fairbanks I.S.D. I taught fourth grade Language Arts and Social Studies at Bane Elementary, then sixth grade Language Arts and ESL reading at Bleyl Middle School. During that time I became trained in classroom management by Boys Town in Omaha, Nebraska, and was certified to teach their program to Cy-Fair teachers. This eventually led to a full time position at District level, assisting with training as well as visiting schools to consult with teachers and administrators regarding classroom management and discipline.

My family – Mother, Dad, Susan, Allen Neil, our spouses and children were not together often, but we were close. This photo (above) of my family was taken a few months before my dad died, and, incredibly, the whole family was together. My brother hadn't remarried yet (this was Thanksgiving 1994 and he married the following March) so his significant other wasn't with us. In 1995, John’s mother passed away, and my father died unexpectedly within two weeks of her death. 

The following May, Susan died suddenly of a brain aneurism in her home in Fayetteville, Arkansas. She was a high school teacher of yearbook and photography. She and her husband, a professor of mechanical engineering, had three grown children, two sons and a daughter. Now they have two grandsons. Allen Neil is a chemical and instrumentation engineer. He and his second wife live in Houston. Susan is standing on the far right in the picture. He lived for about twenty years in Rochester, New York, with his first wife, son, and daughter.

John’s children live on the east coast and the west coast. None live in Houston so we don’t get to see them or the five grandchildren (four boys and one girl) as often as we would like.

Mother continues to live on the farm in good health and will be 90 in January of 2009. I visit often and help her with farm chores, including tractor work, clearing brush, and plumbing. (!) We also tend to her shopping, keep the bird feeders filled, and enjoy her two cats, Devilla and Angela. That's Devilla on the tractor with me. She's aptly named for her sense of devilment. She goes everywhere around the farm with us, but usually on the cart or in the truck, not on the tractor.

June 6, 2008, was my retirement date from teaching. The photo shows the two very dear supervisors I worked under at District level. The donation bucket was not for me! It was for contributions to Boys Town in my honor. And I am very honored – not only for the donation but also for the dual blessings of having had such a wonderful job and fantastic people with which to work.

Now I’m adjusting to the rhythms of retirement. Leisure activities include reading, crossword puzzles, and collecting cartoons about Heaven and Hell. I love anything that creates laughter – as long as it’s not hurtful to anyone. Whenever the occasion arises, I also pick up short-term jobs.

Some of you will remember my love of poetry. I have put together an (unpublished) anthology of poetry that is fairly comprehensive and includes some hard-to-find and sadly over-looked poems.  

Am hoping in retirement to spend time with old friends as well as to learn to move into the techno-age. My grandmother said that everyone should learn something new every day, and she lived to be 97. With that example and the Lord’s blessings, retirement will be just another adventure.

 Please take the time now to make a comment in response to Glenda's biography. You will also enjoy reading the comments that others have left.

CLICK HERE to return to the top of the main section after reading comments below, and/or making your own comment.

Comments

[Jody Bugg]

Wow! Look at all you've accomplished in your still very young life. I am so envious of all the travel. I thoroughly enjoy retirement, but I know your time isn't filled like it normally is, and that you miss the activity of work. I truly enjoyed your biography and thank you for sharing it with us. Jody

[Charles Simmons]

Hello Glenda,

We didn't run around together at Milby, but you do look striking in your Continental stewardess (as we called them then!) uniform. Flying for Braniff, then Piedmont, and retiring from USAirways, you and I could share some stories. Some called the work glamorous, but you and I know different. It was, indeed, interesting most of the time, but boy it could get tiring!

Thank you for sharing your bio, especially the part about being a flight attendant. I have great respect for that profession.

Warm Regards,
Charles Simmons

[John Echoff]

Geez Glenda, you are still a knockout! Life has been good to you and I hope it continues for a long, long time...

[Clyde ( Sonny ) Jones]

I'm with John. You're still a knockout. Never could understand what you saw in Wally Sisk though. I'm just funnin'....he's one of my all-time good buds! It is just terrific to start a day off remembering old friends and all the fun we had....thanks for including your biography Glenda. You obviously have had a busy and fruitful life, so enjoy retirement!
Sonny

[Larry Smith]

Hi Glenda...
I remember a lot of good times in ROTC. It is very nice to hear from you and how you have lived your life. Welcome to retirement, although you may not really feel it until school starts...without you. Charleen's brother and his wife retired from teaching in June, and are staying with us while their house is being completed. They are still on summer break.
p.s. Did you see the Marfa lights?

[John Echoff]

Glenda, Larry mentioned ROTC, do you remember the long march from downtown back to Milby when the bus didn't show to take us back? Weren't you girls (the sponser's) wearing high heel shoes? Must have been murder on your feet. By the way, thank you for your kind comments about my bio, they mean a lot coming from someone as special as you...

[Karla notes: see Sheila's photos from the "march from downtown" John mentions in the "Milby Era Photo Album" 3/4 way down the right sidebar.]

[Jody Bugg]

I do very much enjoy reading about our adventures and learning new things about each of us.

I would love to travel with you again. John, too, if he's up to traveling with two women. However, I'm not sure how I would hold up multi-hour driving like the two of you enjoy. I may have to train for that. :)

Enjoy your trip to Civil War territory.
Jody

[Jody Bugg]

I enjoyed the additions to your bio. Aren't photos wonderful? They conjure up a wealth of memories. I'm a nostalgia freak anyway, and reading all our bios stimulates my memory. I remember both Pat and Joan and how close the three of you were all through school. I even remember going to Joan's wedding. I remember Donnie Hall. He and Betsy went out a time or two. You may have been instrumental in getting them set up on a blind date.

Jody

[Ann Herman Beatty]

In regards to transportation to Milby...there was a shuttle bus that ran through Oak Meadows and Forest Oaks, then Meadowbrook, and stopped at the gas station at the triad of I-45, Park Place Blvd. and Broadway. Those people then walked across the street to Freeway side of Broadway, and down past Lang's Drug Store and crossed the block to the laundry where Karla's parents book store had been.

There was a stop on the first block, but if you wanted a seat, you went to the second. The bus then rounded onto the feeder road of the freeway to the first block, turned right, and another quick right onto Broadway and there was another stop, in the next block across from what was then Park Place Baptist for those of us that did not walk fast enough to get the 1st stop. Most of us Milbyites would get a seat after the Deady bunch got off. Am sure the adults that rode the bus to work were delighted when we "loud kids" got off and they could ride the rest of the way in relative peace.

[Karla Lofgren Davis]

Good grief you have a good memory for details Ann!!! Those are my old stomping grounds too, but I'm sure I could not have retraced that route like you just did. However, I have had a few very vivid dreams (nightmares!) over the years of trying to navigate that whole spaghetti bowl of the Gulf Freeway/Broadway/Park Place Boulevard intersection. It is usually a case of trying to get across the street or down the street in a hurry but not making any progress - like my feet are stuck in quicksand. Now I know what it was about - I was trying to catch a bus!!!

My other vivid memory of that traffic circle is that my retainer was missing one night at bedtime and as I recontructed the day we realized that when I stopped at the store for a snack - there near the intersection - I probably removed my retainer and then lost it along the way. Those things weren't cheap and we weren't rich, so off we went in the dark of night - flashlights in hand, retracing my steps. A glint of light flashed from the ground and we found the retainer - thoroughly smashed. As I remember I had to earn the money to pay at least part of the replacement cost.

[John Hammerle]

What a wonderful biography and beautiful pictures that tell your life story. Glad to see you taking such an active part in the Milby blog. You were always a leader and still are. The best to you and your family always.

[Scott Christian]

Hi Glenda,
I am a former (ramp rat/psgr agent/LAXGO mgr/VP) of Continental (1969-86). By default, and because of its previously lousy content and editing, I have adopted the "Continental Airlines" article on Wikipedia, the online encyclopedia.
Because of Wikipedia's extremely strict copyright assurance policies, I have had a dickens of a time trying to get good photos of CO flight attendants that the Wikipedia staff won't "take down". I found your EXCELLENT 1967 photo (with 3 lovely colleagues) in a Google search. I have put it up temporarily (you can see it at wikipedia.com "Continental"), but they threated to take it down.
SO, HERE IS MY REQUEST! Would you please be so kind as to grant permission to post the photo on wikipedia?? It would definitely add to the CAL page's quality (in all humility, I truly think we have the best article on wiki!), and would give you a little bit of imortality, too ;) Thanks in advance for even considering this!

With warm regards,
your former CAL colleague,
Scott Christian
oreophilus@gmail.com

[John Hammerle]

REALLY ENJOYED SEEING YOUR PICTURES....WHAT GREAT MEMORIES TO SHOW FAMILY AND FRIENDS. WAS SO SORRY TO NOT MAKE THE REUNION AND TO SEE FORMER CLASSMATES AND FRIENDS. THANK YOU FOR SHARING AND PLEASE STAY IN TOUCH. THE BEST TO YOU ALWAYS.......ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK?

[G.K.Cowart DDS]

Dear Glenda,

First of all let me apologize for taking so long to write to you as I didn't know how to reach you. On 31 Jan. 1968, I was a twenty-year-old Marine aboard a Continental flight from Kadena to Da Nang. I was scared to death. All of us were. I remember the beautiful young flight attendants walking up and down the aisles with big warm smiles, talking, touching, hugging, and sometimes kissing individual Marines keeping our spirits up; knowing what awaited us.
I still don't know what possessed you to take such a risk. We flew into the Tet Offensive that day with two Marine F-4's escorting us into Da Nang. Even as the field was taking rockets periodically through out that day you stayed calm and brave and kissed or hugged each one of us as we left the plane. I have never forgotten that. Your courage gave me courage and I was able to survive my tour.
I always thought that when I made my return flight I would thank you personally when I boarded the plane, but as luck would have it I was wounded seriously and left Vietnam on a stretcher inside a C-130. I never saw a Continental Flight attendant again.
So, since I found this web site by accident its time to give you and your fellow heros my appreciation. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for your service. You are my hero. I wish I could send this to all the other beautiful young women heros who made those flights. I never forgot you.

Deepest Love,

Gary K Cowart DDS
Kent, WA. USA

[Mike Roberts]

Wow, what a story ! Thanks Gary. Glenda, sounds as though you made quite an impression on a young Marine. How neat that he was able to catch up with you on our blog. Tis a small world after all, eh !
This as well as the years in class gives me good reason for the pride I feel in knowing such a wonderful person. Thanks for giving our troops hope and a smile !

[John Echoff]

Glenda, wonderful story, worthy of a Wally Sisk Journalism Alumni Award. What a lucky guy to have had such a loving crew to share his journey to destiny. I am very glad that he was able to contact you and y'all had a chance to reminisce. Makes me a bit jealous, I rode over in a C130, no flight attendants, and certainly no creature comforts...

Semper Fi