Breckenridge Texan

Jean Hayworth receives first Historical Preservation Award from local DAR

Jean Hayworth receives first Historical Preservation Award from local DAR
November 11
18:00 2021

By Carla McKeown/Breckenridge Texan

Longtime Breckenridge resident Jean Hayworth was honored recently as the first recipient of the Historical Preservation Award, presented by the Lee’s Legion Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

The local DAR chapter created the annual award and selected Hayworth as the inaugural recipient. The award was announced at the organization’s November meeting last week at the Swenson Memorial Museum. A plaque will be displayed at the museum with the name of each year’s recipient added as they are announced in upcoming years.

Ashley Wright Thompson introduced Hayworth:

“Throughout the history of the DAR, historical preservation has been one of the main focuses because it is crucial to saving our history for the future generations. Today we want to honor an amazing lady who has had an impressive impact on helping preserve history for future generations. After school, she enlisted in the U.S. Navy WAVES on December 1, 1959, and was discharged August 1962. She met her husband while they were both in Hawaii. She was able to leave three months early with him as he transitioned into the Air Force. The two were married April 1962. She moved all over with her husband until he had a combined 22 years of service before retiring to Breckenridge in 1975.

She attended college at Tarleton State University, graduating in 1980. She started teaching sixth grade at East Elementary School in Breckenridge. She taught elementary school for three years before moving to the junior high, where she taught five years, U.S. history and computers. She preserved our history, not only by teaching it, but she would take students to Washington D.C. for Spring Break, so they too could appreciate and preserve our nation’s history. In 1987, she started teaching at Breckenridge High School, where she taught until she retired in 2005, 25  years of teaching. Over the years, she has taught social studies, World Geography, world history, government, economics, social science, AP history, and she also taught at the Texas Governor’s Honor Program at Lamar University.

After retiring from teaching in 2005, she went to work for the Breckenridge American newspaper in June of 2007. During this time with the paper, she started preserving the rich history of Stephens County in a column called ‘Historically Speaking,’ which is 624 columns of history. Also, by recalling and documenting Buckaroo football history in her column titled ‘Decade of the Bucks, 1950s Football,’ future Buckaroos will now have a connection to the past.

She retired on September 1 from the newspaper, a day before her 80th birthday. She and her husband had three children, Patti, Skip and Michael. All three of her children graduated from Breckenridge, along with her grandchildren, and now four great-grandchildren have started through Breckenridge ISD, making a third generation of Buckaroos.

… We would like to honor Betty Jean Hayworth for her outstanding achievement and historical preservation. She has left a mark on the newspaper and community of Breckenridge through her tireless efforts to provide the news and educate the youth and her dedication of military service to this country.”

Hayworth also received a certificate and a flag that had flown over the DAR headquarters in Washington, D.C., earlier this year.

In addition to their regular meeting agenda, the local DAR also heard presentations on the history of Veterans Day and about Sam Houston.

Jean Hayworth, center, poses with her certificate and plaque, along with Ashley Wright Thompson and Mary Thompson, in the military section of the Swenson Memorial Museum following the DAR meeting last week. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

Cutline, top photo: Jean Hayworth, left, receives a certificate and flag for the Historical Preservation Award. Presenting the award to Hayworth are Ashley Wright Thompson, center, and Mary Thompson, right. (Photo by Tony Pilkington/Breckenridge Texan)

 


The Breckenridge Texan is in the midst of our annual fundraising campaign with the national organization NewsMatch. Donations made through the end of December will be matched, dollar-for-dollar, by NewsMatch. The Breckenridge Texan is a non-profit news website covering Stephens County and Breckenridge, Texas, that depends on donations, as well as advertising, to continue our work. We appreciate your contributions. To make a donation, click here.


 

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