New youth services librarian, Celina Record, April 2018

Celina's new youth services librarian plans to enhance programming Lisa Ferguson, Star Local Media Contributor Apr 5, 2018 As a child growing up in Plano and Allen, Lauren Graves made frequent visits to local public libraries. “I remember pulling out the picture books. I just wanted to draw whatever was in the books,” she recalled. “That was my big thing – reading as well, but mostly attempting to mimic the illustrations and their (artistic) styles.” In February, Graves – who graduated in 2014 from SMU with a bachelor’s degree in art history, and two years later earned her master’s in library science from UNT - was hired as youth services librarian at Celina Public Library. She is the first city of Celina employee ever to hold the recently created position. “It is a big undertaking to kind of shape this (role),” Graves said, “but I think that also provides an exciting and unique opportunity to create something new.” Among her duties is developing and overseeing the library’s programming for children and teens, including its annual Summer Reading Program which is scheduled to begin June 1. It is anticipated that this year’s program will be larger than in previous summers, and will feature several reading, music and science-related events geared toward youngsters age infant through 12 years old at the library. +1 Lauren Graves Youth Services Librarian Lauren Graves, center, speaks to a child, right, as Director of Library Services Linda Shaw, left, dressed as Cat in the Hat, looks on during Celina Public Library’s Dr. Suess birthday celebration earlier this month. PHOTO COURTESY OF CELINA PUBLIC LIBRARY “Summer reading is really important,” Graves said. “We want kids to keep the skills that they’ve gathered throughout the school year and continue growing those skills to prevent summer learning loss, so when they go back to school they’re still prepared and ready to roll.” Linda Shaw, director of library services for Celina, said Graves “really embraces the community-building nature of the library” and boasts a “positive attitude toward serving and being a part of the library team.” Most recently Graves, 25, worked as an access service librarian at Reed Library on the campus of Fort Lewis College in Durango, Colorado, where she managed the access services department that oversaw the circulation desk, and helped craft library policies and procedures while assisting students. One of the best aspects of that job, she said, was forming relationships and connections with patrons. She looks forward to doing the same at Celina Public Library. Public libraries are “absolutely vital” to communities, Graves said, because they typically “provide more than just books. Public libraries provide a community space and resources that some children might not have access to otherwise,” such as internet access needed to complete homework and other assignments. “Some of them might not have that at home, but we are able to provide that.” Also, “Public libraries play a role in teaching digital literacy, which is essential in the Information Age, along with information literacy,” she said. The library can be “a space of support, and I think that’s crucial,” Graves explained. “There aren’t many places one can go in society today where one can use the resources, attend services and consume materials, but not have to purchase anything.” Given Celina’s fast-growing population, its public library “is serving a really great role in the community right now, and I think there’s a lot of opportunity” to expand its programming, services and profile in the community, she said. Plans for a children’s book club are in the works, and Yoga Story Time sessions for preschoolers through early elementary-aged kids are set to begin in June. Graves, who since 2011 has been a certified yoga instructor through the nonprofit Yoga Alliance association, has previously taught it to children during sessions at the Trammell & Margaret Crow Collection of Asian Art in Dallas. “It’s always super fun to do it in the park, and it’d be fun to do it out on (Celina’s) square,” she said. Future youth programming at Celina Public Library “will really depend on what the community wants,” Graves said, “so I’m putting feelers out and seeing what people are interested in. I want to provide activities … that people are excited about, that the kids are excited about.”

Celina Public Library book club, Celina Record, April 2018

What’s the word? Conversation is key at library book club meetings Lisa Ferguson, Star Local Media Contributor Apr 22, 2018 Robin Hoerner has a thing for book clubs. Currently, the retired school teacher is a member of eight of them. After moving from Plano to Celina last summer, she added Celina Public Library’s book club to the list of those whose meetings she regularly attends. Its members typically discuss plot points, characters and other topics related to the fiction, non-fiction and bestselling books they select and collectively read. “I like the people,” Hoerner said of the library’s club, which meets monthly. “I love this little town, and the smell of this little library when you walk in,” an intoxicating scent (for bibliophiles, at least) which she described as being that of books. Several fellow members laughed and nodded in agreement with Hoerner’s description during the club’s March meeting at Celina Public Library. Gathered around a couple of small tables, they spent more than an hour sharing their thoughts on “The Great Alone,” a bestselling novel by Kristin Hannah about a troubled Vietnam War veteran who moves his family to Alaska and lives off the grid. Leya Grubbs, a Celina mother of three children, said she looks forward to the club’s meetings. “I love how everybody is entitled to their opinion, and you just say what you want to say, and nobody judges you because those are your thoughts about the book and how you processed it,” she said. “I really like the conversation and everybody’s different perspectives.” Celina Public Library’s book club held its first meeting in September 2016, which was attended by just a few people. Since then, attendance has swelled to nearly a dozen. New members are welcomed at meetings, which are held at 10:30 a.m. on the third Thursday of each month. The book club “brings people of our community together,” said Linda Shaw, director of library services for the city of Celina. “The monthly discussions build friendships, connections and respect as individual insights are shared in a welcoming environment. … I’ve even noticed the meeting seems to be lasting longer each month as conversations continue beyond the walls of the library.” “We have definitely come into a groove,” said Teri Williams who, along with Celina resident and library Advisory Board member Jennifer Blanco, has been a member of the book club since it began. Williams, who also attends meetings of Gunter Library’s Book Club, founded and helms the Celina-based Bobcat Book Club, which meets monthly at Celina Star Café. “I’ve never been a one-book person,” she said, explaining that she typically tackles two or three tomes at a time. “I like to highlight (passages) … and I take notes to every book club (meeting).” Each month, members of Celina Public Library’s book club submit suggestions for titles to read. Selections are made through a random drawing held during meetings. At the May 17 meeting, book club members will talk about “When Breath Becomes Air,” an autobiographical bestseller about late neurosurgeon-turned-author Paul Kalanithi’s battle with cancer; followed on June 21 by “The Female Persuasion,” a novel by Meg Wolitzer. “I would tell people who are thinking about joining a book club to open your mind,” Williams said, and avoid limiting themselves to certain literary genres. “You’re going to read books you’re not going to like, but if you’re in a good book club, boy, that makes for a fun discussion.”

Creating a dry garden, Las Vegas Review Journal, March 2018

By Lisa Ferguson Special to Your Home March 24, 2018 Maureen Gilmer wants drought-tolerant gardens to be beautiful. Over the past decade, “everything has become so masculinized in the landscape of America, and the emphasis now is on hardscape instead of plants as a more suitable environment for human beings to live within,” said Southern California-based Gilmer, who authors a nationally syndicated newspaper column called “Yardsmart” and has penned 20 gardening books. Home gardeners have been sidetracked by environmental issues, terminology and trends, she said. “I’m a total environmentalist, but I think we’ve gone off the deep end when it comes to residential landscaping. It’s gone so far (that) the general public is confused. … You can’t help the environment unless you know what you’re doing.” Gilmer’s latest tome, “The Colorful Dry Garden: Over 100 Flowers and Vibrant Plants for Drought, Desert &Dry Times” (Sasquatch Books), was published in January. It includes guidelines for transitioning yards to an “arid palette,” as well as hundreds of photos and detailed descriptions of flowering plants and trees that provide the punches of color she and other floral fans crave. “We’ve got drought, but that doesn’t mean that we can’t have riotous color, huge flowers (and) all the wildlife they bring,” said Gilmer, whose career in horticulture and landscape architecture spans more than three decades. SPONSORED CONTENT Shaving & Grooming Made Simple by Dollar Shave Club While she agrees that planting in support of pollinators and conserving water — especially in the chronically parched Southwest — is important, Gilmer said both can pose challenges for home gardeners who prefer colorful plants in their yards. “I want them to start gardening the way they want to, not the way other people tell them to. I want your garden to be an expression of you, not some kind of global consciousness.” Many of the trees and plants highlighted in “The Colorful Dry Garden” are likely already familiar to residents of Southern Nevada, where drought-tolerant landscaping is the norm. Chitalpa trees are a staple in the Las Vegas Valley. A hybrid of the American desert willow and the southern catalpa, they can withstand both cold and hot temperatures while producing pretty purple-striped, curly white blossoms. Gilmer, who also writes a weekly self-titled gardening column for the Desert Sun newspaper in Palm Springs, California, is a big fan of hybrid desert willows. “They’ve got these huge flowers that look like orchids. Some of them are the most incredible shades of magenta red ever, and they bloom all season” before dropping their leaves in late fall, she said. In the spring, “when everything else is slowing down … these little guys kick in with the heat and go, go, go all summer long.” Brandi Eide, a botanical gardens supervisor at the Springs Preserve, also favors desert willows. Although the tree’s persistent seed pods can leave them looking “a little scrappy” at times, for the most part, “they’re incredibly stunning,” she said. “There are things that you can plant year-round that will give you color, whether through flowering or foliage,” Eide said. “You can get a lot of bang for your buck with many plants that are drought tolerant. It might not be something that people think about unless they’re immersed in the plant world, but there are a ton of options.” Fairy dusters (also known as Calliandra eriophylla) are a prime example. The perennial shrub blooms “with these puffy pink or red flowers throughout the warm months, sometimes several times a year. Those are really nice,” she said. The blooms also serve as a food source for hummingbirds and butterflies. Better known as yellow bells, Tecoma stans are native to sandy, dry washes and rocky slopes. They can grow up to 25 feet tall, while hybrid versions range from 3 to 12 feet, and they bloom in a variety of colors, including reds and oranges. Their trumpet-shaped, clustered flowers, which burst forth in late spring and bloom through the winter-holiday season, are a favorite of hummingbirds and mason bees. “They’re going to give you consistent color through the warm months,” said Eide, who also enjoys viewing the yellow-chartreuse flowers produced during winter by gopher plants (Euphorbia rigida), a type of sun-loving, evergreen perennial with low watering requirements. The Idahoensis tree (also known as the Idaho locust), which can reach a height of up to 50 feet, is a hybrid that holds a special place in Gilmer’s heart. Its wisteria-like, rosy-pink blossoms make it “very traditional looking. It’s not Southwestern looking,” despite the fact that it thrives in the heat. “This Robinia (species) can do 100 (degrees) standing on its head. I’ve seen it in really hot climates.” When it comes to plants and shrubs, desert marigolds “look really great” planted among rocks, Gilmer said. She also likes pink muhly grass, which adapts well to sandy, gravely soil; as well as gaura, a perennial that boasts quarter-sized blooms. “That’s one of my new super favorite plants,” she said of the latter. “They’re so animated and light and transparent. That’s what I really love about them.” Gilmer wishes more home gardeners would give the western redbud a try. The tall-growing shrub works well as an accent plant. “It gets a smoky color in the fall, and it’s got these heart-shaped leaves that are so delicate.” The same goes for firecracker plants. The Mexico native’s tube-shaped blooms also attract hummingbirds. “These are fabulous (when grown) in pots because they dip and sag off the edges with these bright coral-colored flowers,” she said. A wide assortment of drought-tolerant plants is available for purchase at the Springs Preserve’s annual spring plant sale, scheduled from 8 a.m.-1 p.m. Saturday and Sunday. Ironically, Gilmer said, the most important feature of a so-called dry garden is proper irrigation. “A lot of people do their own irrigation, and it results in problems with plants not getting enough (water),” she explained, especially in areas such as Southern Nevada, where caliche-laden soil has an extremely low absorption rate. “If there is drainage, slow-drip (irrigation) is the way to go.” Eide said people often mistakenly believe plants need extra water to compensate for the dry, desert climate. “The goal really is to water deeply and infrequently, so you can encourage those roots to grow down below the hot layers of soil,” where the moisture persists and temperatures aren’t as extreme. “So when we do have those hot, dry summers, (plants) actually can thrive a little bit more easily without the constant application of water.” When transitioning from a traditional garden to a dry one, Gilmer advises taking things slowly. “Do it one plant at a time. … This is an act of love,” she said, and plant choices should come “from the heart. They should be intuitive, be it the flower shape, color, form, season. Once they’re in, you almost hardly have to do anything to them.” Besides enjoy them, that is. “I just want people to walk into their yard and just be blown away at the color and the beauty,” Gilmer said. “If we can get people in love with flowers again, we can really improve the state of gardening in America.”

Celina Library celebrates Dr. Seuss, Celina Record, February 2018

A party for the books: Library celebrates literary great Dr. Seuss Lisa Ferguson, Star Local Media contributor Feb 28, 2018 Celina Public Library will host its fifth annual birthday celebration in honor of legendary children’s author Dr. Seuss at 11 a.m. Saturday at the library, 142 N Ohio St. The party, which has for years served as the library’s largest annual children’s event, will feature a storytelling session, games, character appearances, a craft and light refreshments themed after several of Seuss’ best-known books. It is open to youngsters age infant through grade five and their grownups. Admission is free. Seuss, whose full name was Theodor Seuss Geisel, would have turned 114 years old today. According to biographical information featured on the National Education Association’s website, the Pulitzer Prize-winning author devised the idea for his first children’s book, “And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street,” in 1936. The book reportedly was rejected more than two dozen times before finally being published. The library event also coincides with the kick off today of NEA’s annual Read Across America program, which promotes reading motivation and awareness among children. For the celebration, Director of Library Services Linda Shaw plans to reprise her role as the beloved Cat in the Hat character. Having graduated from Baylor University with a degree in music performance, Shaw said she enjoys donning Cat’s trademark red-and-white-striped hat as well as dramatic face makeup to portray the frenetic feline each year. “He’s outrageous. He does what he wants to do. He’s just full of attitude and exuberance and joy in the way he sees the world,” she said of the character. “The Cat in the Hat” is Shaw’s favorite of the 44 children’s tomes that Seuss penned and illustrated prior to his 1991 death. “I like how (Cat) comes in and it’s a rainy day and … just takes over. He wheels in a big box and out come (twin characters) Thing 1 and Thing 2, and the kids’ responses are great,” she said. “There’s a little bit of a message in there about just how much do you obey your parents, and the question of what would you do if the Cat came into your house. It’s just an absolutely fun book to read.” A sizeable selection of Seuss books are displayed year round near the library’s entrance. “Kids go right to them,” Shaw explained of their popularity with young readers. Also, “We have as many of the books as I could get in Spanish because they check out as frequently as those in English.” Seuss’ books “are designed to build reading skills in kids with the rhyming and the silliness of them,” she said. “I don’t know anyone who doesn’t enjoy reading them. He’s even written books that are essentially meant for adults” to appreciate. Youth Services Librarian Lauren Graves said she is partial to 1990’s “Oh, the Places You’ll Go!”, the final Seuss book published during the author’s lifetime. “It’s inspiring,” she said of the story, which has helped earn the book a reputations as a stalwart gift for graduates of all ages. “Life is weird, and things happen. I feel like (the theme) just kind of encompasses that.” Children who attend the library celebration will receive a gift bag filled with reading-related items to take home. “Because when you go to a birthday party,” Shaw said, “usually you leave with a goodie bag.”

Sisters' Clothing line, Park Cities People, February 2018

Family Trips Inspire Sisters’ Clothing Line by Lisa Ferguson February 28, 2018 Christian Elizabeth & Co. offers dainty pastel-hued dresses, rompers, and short suits. (Photo: Emily Duck) A pair of Bluffview-bred sisters aren’t kidding around when it comes to the line of children’s clothing they have designed and recently launched. Christian Elizabeth & Co. is the brainchild of siblings Emily Duck and Kathryn Anderson, both alums of The Episcopal School of Dallas and graduates of SMU. The company’s name is a combination of the women’s respective middle monikers. Its Spring/Summer 2018 collection features what the two describe as “traditional” styles for girls and boys, sizes 3 months through 4T (toddler). Its dainty pastel-hued dresses, rompers, and short suits sport detailed hand-embroidered designs. They range in price from $74-$82 at christianelizabethco.com. Stella Back Bow Swing Set. (Photo: Emily Duck) The clothes are also available at Babies on the Boulevard, a Fort Worth boutique, as well as Bambinos in San Antonio, and the Under the Azalea shop in Huntsville, Alabama. Christian Elizabeth & Co.’s New York-inspired Fall/Winter 2018 collection, represented by Katwalk Kids, was displayed during January’s Dallas Apparel & Accessories Market at the Dallas World Trade Center. The wholesale-industry event was attended by retailers from throughout the country. “With social media these days, we’ve been able to connect with a lot of moms out there who … just love traditional clothing and are willing to pay a little bit more of a premium to get those styles and the hand embroidery,” said 22-year-old Anderson, who resides in the Turtle Creek neighborhood. The Spring/Summer pieces are inspired by family vacations the women took as children to the Florida coast and Colorado mountains with their father, Dallas land developer Charlie Anderson, and mother Shawn Anderson. Best Fishing Sun Suit. (Photo: Emily Duck) Sailboats, starfish, and seashells adorn clothing in the line dubbed Seaside, while cowboy hats, horseshoes, and even fly-fishing lures dot items from the Aspen line. “We spend a ton of time there, and growing up we’d spend all summer and every Christmas” in the small ski town, said Duck, a 29-year-old Lake Highlands mother of two young children. “We recognized that so many Southern families spend the summer in the mountains to escape the heat, and we felt like that was the perfect niche to tap into for this collection because we’ve seen so many cute little kids (there) that clearly are from the South in their little traditional outfits.” The company’s clothes are similar in style to the duds the women said they wore as youngsters. Their shared passion for fashion has blossomed over the years. “We always were really close,” Duck recalled. “I think the age difference actually brought us closer together. We were never competitive or anything, and we were always really each other’s best friend.” Working with her sister “has been fun,” Anderson said. “I feel like we get along really well, and we can always be really honest with each other.”

In a Heartbeat, Forney Living magazine, February 2018

IN A HEARTBEAT BY LISA FERGUSON FORNEY WOMAN CREDITS FIREFIGHTER HUSBAND AND OTHERS FOR SAVING HER LIFE. The fact that Michelle Ray is alive today is nothing short of miraculous. In October, the longtime Forney resident experienced an episode of sudden cardiac arrest, during which she had no heartbeat and did not breathe on her own for more than 15 minutes. Were it not for the quick actions of Forney firefighter—including her husband, David Ray, a lieutenant at Station No. 2—emergency medical technicians and others, she likely would not have survived. That day Michelle and David, who own Hook and Ladder Gutter Company, were working on a gutter-installation job with their employee, fellow Forney firefighter Josh Hillis, at a home in the Winners Circle Estates subdivision. Michelle felt a pain in the middle of her chest and alerted the men she was going to sit down and rest in their company trailer. A few minutes later, she said, David looked up from his work to ask how she was feeling. “Before I could answer him, I was gone,” she said. “I fell straight out of the trailer and onto the ground.” Within seconds David, Hillis, and the homeowner, retired Dallas firefighter Don Cowan, began performing CPR on 53-year-old Michelle. “They did all the compressions, and David did all the breathing,” she explained. Following a 9-1-1 call, Forney Fire Department and Care Flite ambulance crews arrived on the scene and began advanced life-saving measures which included administering medications and oxygen, and shocking her heart with a defibrillator. Forney Fire Department Chief Rick Townsend said the call was “a major concern” for firefighters, not only because most of the first responders that day knew the Rays personally, but also because typically on active CPR situations, “It’s very rare that you revive somebody. We were just very blessed that this came out the way that it did.” Michelle was transported to Baylor Scott & White Medical Center Sunnyvale where it was determined a blood clot had lodged in her heart, causing it to stop. During the first few days of her weeklong stay, Forney firefighters were stationed around the clock in the waiting room. She was also visited by members of the Garland Fire Department, for which the couple’s son, Cody Ray, works as a rookie firefighter. “The hospital [staff] wanted to know who the celebrity was,” David joked. “It was just little Michelle.” That firefighters showed such strong support for the couple doesn’t surprise him. “It’s a very close-knit family. You lean on these guys to protect you every single day so that you can go home to your family.” Last December, during an end-of-the-year banquet, several members of the Forney Fire Department who responded to the CPR call involving Michelle were presented Lifesaving Awards, which is one of the department’s highest employee honors. Among them were firefighters from Station No. 1, as well as David Ray and Josh Hillis. Meanwhile, Cowan and the Care Flite ambulance crew were awarded Lifesaving Certificates of Appreciation. “It was just a great group effort by everyone involved,” Townsend said. No one is more grateful than Michelle for the efforts of all involved that day. “We’re very blessed, and we definitely feel like it was a miracle,” she said. “It was a lot of hard work from everybody, doing what they needed to do and knowing the right things to do to take care of me. Between God and the fire department, I am here.”

Mayoral Memories, Our Celina Magazine, February 2018

MAYORAL MEMORIES: LOOKING AT THE PUBLIC, PRIVATE LIVES OF THOSE WHO HAVE LED CELINA By: Lisa Ferguson February 23, 2018 ourcelina Celina Main Street City of Celina When he’s not presiding over city council meetings or otherwise working to lead Celina toward its anticipated future as the second largest city in Collin County, Mayor Sean Terry is a fixture at local businesses, eateries and community events. It’s not unusual to spot him shaking hands with Celina residents at the supermarket or in the downtown square, and answering queries about where our burgeoning burg is headed. Terry’s modern mayoral duties likely are similar to those undertaken by Celina’s previous mayors, each of whom faced their own unique sets of challenges and opportunities while shepherding the city over the last hundred-plus years. Read on to learn more about the lives and times of four of Celina’s former mayors. (Due to incomplete and missing records, the dates of each mayor’s terms in office could not be verified for this article. Howard Lee Bounds (1868-1928) – Born and raised in Celina, Bounds is credited as being the city’s first mayor. A little person and the son of pioneer-settler parents, he was a charter member of the local Christian church and for years led a men’s Sunday school class. In 1900, records show that he was a member of the Odd Fellows Lodge at Old Celina. According to church records featured in the book “The People of Old Celina Cemetery,” by author Gayle Maxson, “His body was dwarfed, but he had a big heart and a clear head and no citizen of the county had more friends.” Celina was established as a “corporate village” in April 1909. During the first meeting of the city council, Bounds reportedly was installed as mayor and the city’s government was organized. One of the council’s first items of business, according to early city meeting records, was “keeping the city in a sanitary condition” and “providing for working streets.” Bounds died in a Forth Worth hospital on Aug. 1, 1928. Funeral services were held at Celina’s Methodist church, and he was laid to rest at Old Celina Cemetery. Upon his passing, Celina Record newspaper Editor C.C. Andrews wrote: “The familiar form of Lee Bounds will be missed from our streets and the church, the services at which he rarely missed. … There will be sincere grief in this congregation as well as all over this section of the county at his departure.” Bounds was preceded in death by his wife, Claudia Drake Bounds, who was also a little person. James Edgar Ousley (1885-1931) – Also a Celina native, Ousley reportedly served multiple terms as the city’s mayor during the early part of last century. According to records included in the book “Cottage Hill Cemetery, Collin County, Texas,” also authored by Maxson, he was the son of Mr. and Mrs. J.C. Ousley, and attended local public schools before heading to the former Grayson College in Whitewright. For years he was a member of Celina’s Methodist church as well as the Masonic Lodge. During Ousley’s administration, Celina was said to have experienced one of its most progressive eras. The city welcomed natural gas service, as well as round-the-clock electricity service through Texas Power & Light. It’s water system was built, and streets were re-graveled. In records featured in the book, Mayor Ousley is described as having been “broad minded. He would contend for what he believed to be right but held no malice against those who opposed him. … What he did as mayor was open and above board.” Ousley was married to Edna Rooney Graham and the couple had two children. He battled cancer and reportedly sought treatment in New York with a surgeon from the Mayo Clinic. He died on April 21, 1931, while sitting in a chair at his family’s Celina home where he was said to have spent his final hours with family and friends. William Edward “Will” Seitz (1873-1948) – Seitz is probably best remembered locally as a proprietor of the former Patrick & Seitz Hardware store, which opened in 1923. For years the business was housed in a building on Celina’s downtown square, the site of which is now the patio area at Papa Gallo’s Mexican Grill. It was also the scene of a 1932 heist by notorious bank robber Clyde Barrow and a couple of cohorts who stole guns and ammunition during a crime-filled night the trio spent in Celina. A Celina Record article penned around the time of the hardware store’s 25th year in business read: “The Patrick & Seitz Hardware store has been of great service to the farmers and people in general here, furnishing them with anything in the way of hardware or implements close at hand. They carry a large stock of durable and dependable hardware of every kind.” According to 1900 census records, Seitz was a farmer born in Arkansas (although other records list his birthplace as Denton County). He married his first wife, Lissia Elizabeth McGee, in 1898. The Celina Record reported that Seitz arrived in Celina in 1911 and later became its mayor. A prominent member of the local Methodist church, for several years Seitz also was director of First State Bank. For a time, he was chairman of the board of trustees for the Hubbard estate, proceeds from which benefitted the former Alla School that merged with Celina ISD in 1958. Following his wife’s death in 1944, Seitz wed Mary Perry. He died four years later, on Jan. 15, 1948, at age 74 of a heart attack. His funeral was held at First Methodist Church, and he was laid to rest at Old Celina Cemetery. Grover Cleveland Sheets (1884-1975) – Virginia-born Sheets reportedly moved from Plano to Celina in 1912 and established his blacksmith shop on North Louisiana Street, in the building now occupied by Carmela Winery. According to a 1971 Celina Record article: “The shop, which has operated continuously since that date, has metamorphosed into a wondrous place of iron and steel, hardware, nuts and bolts and plumbing supplies and fixtures and you name it. The proprietor of the shop still works at anvil and forge, though he is at times a bit incapacitated by a stiffness in his joints.” Sheets reportedly also lost several fingers due to a planer-machine accident at the business. “Don’t talk to me about the ‘good old days,’” he said in a 1962 interview with the newspaper. “I don’t think the old days compare at all with times now. Why, we used to saw out wagon and cultivator tongues from a piece of 3×12 oak with a hand saw. And if you think that’s not work, you ought to try it. We didn’t have electric lights or power, and we had to do everything the real hard way.” Records indicate that Sheets served as Celina’s mayor from 1947 to 1952. He was also a Celina City Council member for 16 years; spent 50 years as a member of the Masons; was a member of the board of trustees of Collin Memorial Hospital in McKinney; and served a dozen years on the county’s Red Cross board prior to his death on Jan. 8, 1975, at age 91. He is buried at Cottage Hill Cemetery beside his wife, Winnie Larue Sheets.

A Clasp Act, Frisco Style Magazine, March 2018

A “Clasp” Act By Lisa Ferguson - March 1, 2018 I am the epitome of the American dream,” Natalie Mills says while discussing her plans to take the nation’s fashion jewelry industry by storm. “No dream is too big, as long as you are willing to work for it.” As a native of South Africa, who, in 2016, relocated with her family to Plano, she largely credits a combination of street smarts and good old-fashioned gumption for propelling her to household-name status back home with Crystal Creations by Natalie Mills, the jewelry company she founded in 2012. In February, she officially launched the company stateside under the new brand name “Natalie Mills.” She designs its thousands of glittering pieces, including bracelets, rings, necklaces, earrings and watches that range in price from $30-$350 and are available at nataliemills.com. “Anything my name is attached to is my baby,” she says. “It is all in your soul, and your soul has to go through to what you touch. That is the only way you are going to deliver excellence — if you have that pride and passion within.” Some of the pieces, including the elegant Plexiglass Aytan bracelet from the Natalie Mills Floating Crystal collection, feature Swarovski® crystals. The transparent quality lends to her idea “that there is beauty within, as well. It is not just on the surface. This is a literal transcending of that. It is art. It is exquisite,” Ms. Mills shares. Ms. Mills is known in South Africa as the “Southern Glam Girl.” She shares, “I am very true to my brand. I am very true to the design and the feel of the pieces.” Ms. Mills, 38, says deals have already been made with national U.S. retailers to begin selling her jewelry. Her company also plans to open its own upscale stand-alone boutiques and eventually will expand its line to include chic handbags it also sells in South Africa. Ms. Mills’ love of jewelry and her desire to become an entrepreneur first surfaced during childhood. Her family, including her parents, who had their own business, vacationed at South African beaches. She collected seashells to take home, string together and sell as jewelry pieces to neighbors. “So, I was a designer and an entrepreneur from the get go,” she says. After completing school, Ms. Mills, who did not attend college, says she emailed the CEO of one of the largest marketing and advertising agencies in the country to ask for a job. In the years since, she has held executive-level positions with various firms and was the editor of a magazine. She worked alongside high-ranking corporate executives and traveled the world before founding her first business at age 25. “It is all street smarts,” she says of her career’s rise. “It is all a result of learning and absorbing from the best.” She also shares, “I really had a passion for bling. I had a passion for shine.” However, when shopping for fashion jewelry, she says, “We would go to the stores and the quality of the pieces was really not good. That is when I saw the gap in the market. Some people cannot afford the really expensive stuff, but the cheaper stuff does not last. When I saw that gap, I launched Crystal Creations.” After designing her take on uber-trendy Shamballa-style beaded bracelets, Ms. Mills secured a contract that put her bracelets on shelves at a major South African department store. “I wanted people to go in and say, ‘I want the Crystal Creations bracelet.’ So, I really developed that brand,” she explains. By harnessing the power of social media, she was able to build the company into “a really formidable brand.” Her wares can now be purchased at numerous South African retailers, as well as at her company’s own beautifully-appointed boutiques there. Natalie Mills’ target audience is the “affluent, aspiring” Tiffany & Co.® client. “The kind of customer who will get to shop at Tiffany’s one day. She cannot afford it yet, but she still wants something beautiful, made with quality, that is not going to cost a fortune.” Ms. Mills is adamant that her jewelry pieces remain accessible. “I want people to feel beautiful and I want to use my gift to make women gorgeous. I wanted my brand to be associated with causes I am passionate about,” she says. This is why, for each Natalie Mills purchase that is made, her company donates a healthy meal to an at-risk or orphaned child in South Africa. She says she is finalizing details that will allow the company to support similar charitable programs in the U.S. Given the challenging economic conditions and high-crime rates that exist in South Africa, Ms. Mills says the time was right to expand her company to the U.S. “I had to make a decision about where to invest my time. In the States, you have a lower unemployment rate and a much higher minimum wage. I feel the products are going to be a lot more accessible to a lot more people,” she explains. She and her husband, Jacques Bronkhorst, who works locally in the real estate industry, and the couple’s young daughter, Tuscany, decided to settle in North Texas based on the region’s current business boom. “There is something about Texans — their hospitality, the way they want to help you and the networking they do for you. It has been phenomenal,” she shares. However, juggling a jewelry empire between two continents is not easy. “Especially because there is a seven-hour time difference,” Ms. Mills says. She also owns a thriving South African real estate business that employees hundreds of people, so, she says, “I find it a lot more challenging than I anticipated.” She credits her team of staffers back home for keeping operations there moving forward. “A good business person knows that when they are establishing any kind of venture, it needs to kind of go into cruise control. I am blessed that I have been able to put my leadership abilities and my work abilities into my team that I left behind so they can continue to build the company. If you are an entrepreneur, you can be an entrepreneur anywhere in the world. If you have something special, then you have something special everywhere in the world.” In recent months, Ms. Mills says she has connected with and sought professional advice from former executives of several of the world’s largest jewelry and watch manufacturers who are helping her pattern it all together and make Natalie Mills an even more effective company. Her business strategy is to align herself with the best to try to become the best. She claims several industry bigwigs have speculated that hers likely will be the next big jewelry brand. Ms. Mills says one executive told her that few times in his life has he met somebody who has the business ability and skill to create a truly successful, sizeable business. Ms. Mills says, “When you hear that and you have made a big career leap, you know you have made the right choice.” From South Africa to North Texas, Ms. Mills has certainly made her mark in the jewelry industry. Time will tell what dreams will become a reality for her next!