Jo Ann Rice’s family moved to Texarkana when she was just 2 years old. She graduated from Dunbar High School, earned her associate’s degree from Texarkana College, and later obtained both a bachelor of science and a master of science from East Texas State University, now known as Texas A&M University–Texarkana. Jo Ann has been lending her strength and energy to the Texarkana community her entire adult life. 

After 15 years as the executive director of Leadership Texarkana (LT), I will be stepping away from that position on June 1st. It’s time, and I’m excited to begin the next chapter of my life. At the same time, I’m extremely proud of the tenfold transformational growth Leadership Texarkana has experienced since 2010.

American poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow wrote, “Music is the universal language of mankind.” No matter what language you speak or where you come from, music can resonate with any soul. This concept has driven Texas High School senior Ryker Meadows to become a bassoonist and aspiring professional musician.

The Sullifarm Chateau, a charming home and part-time AirBnB, boasts a backstory steeped in simplicity. Annemarie Sullivan, the owner, transformed her grandfather’s old dairy barn into a peaceful retreat set amidst the serene Piney Woods of East Texas. After a decade of dairy farming, James Davis, Annemarie’s grandfather, retired the barn from its agricultural duties, and it sat unused for the next 35 years. Annemarie saw something greater for the barn.

Claude Marshall Freeman served in the United States Army on the frontlines of World War I in France and Germany. After all he endured and experienced during the war, Claude was grateful to return home to his hometown of Simms, Texas, with a plan. After seeing beautiful gardens in Europe, Claude felt inspired to start grafting fruit trees and growing different varieties of plants back home in Texas. So, in 1925, Freeman Nursery launched, and 100 years later, the family business is still blooming.

The yearly Home & Garden Show brings together builders, remodelers, suppliers, and various companies from the home and garden industry in the Texarkana area. If you’re looking for inspiration and guidance for your home improvement endeavors, this is an event you won’t want to miss. Open to the public at no cost, this year’s show is scheduled for Saturday, March 22nd, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Crossties Event Venue.

Growing up in Louisiana, Clare Oliver was always surrounded by animals and spent much of her time outdoors. Her family members grew gardens, and those early years helped her see agriculture as a labor of love. Today, she and her family have built Vesta Homestead, a small working farm in Genoa. Through this growing business, Clare takes pride in her work and in the community she serves.

Sometimes challenges can help a family find its purpose. This was the case for one Texarkana family whose health issues sparked lifestyle changes that ultimately led to the creation of a small business. Back to Roots, a health and wellness market, is a family-owned business that strives to offer options that are not available in larger retail stores.

Most people who know Gay Vaughan know her as “Miss Gay.” As a preschool teacher at First Baptist Church for over 20 years, Gay taught hundreds of Texarkana-area children until her retirement two years ago. Prior to her career in early childhood education, she had been a stay-at-home mom to her own three kids, one of whom just became a parent himself.

Growing up, 37-year-old Doug Mann accredited his social discomfort to his status as a white English-speaking person in a predominantly Hispanic community.

“I grew up about a mile from Mexico, and so almost everyone I went to school with was Hispanic, spoke Spanish at home, and was very culturally different from me,” he reflected. “I was the minority. I didn’t fit in for obvious reasons.”

Humility is an essential quality for any basketball player. It allows them to recognize their strengths and areas for growth, both on and off the court. For Lily Armstrong, a ninth-grade basketball and track athlete at Albert J. Murphy Junior High in Genoa, humility is a core value that has fueled her journey from rookie to leader.

When asked about our days, many of us might reply that “work was a zoo.” Dr. Zachary Legan, an oral surgeon at Oral & Maxillofacial Surgery of Northeast Texas, takes pride in his office’s calm atmosphere, where he can help patients “in a way that is not anxiety-provoking,” he said. But, some days, Zachary’s passion pulls him to work at a literal zoo—specifically the Little Rock Zoo, where he treats animals experiencing dental pain or disease.

In 2003, when Derek Matthews was just 5 years old, he was injured in a serious ATV accident. Once he recovered, his father, Shon, felt inspired to change careers: after nearly two decades working at Alumax Mill Products, Shon began pursuing a new vocation as a first responder. He joined a volunteer firefighter department as well as the first-responder team at the mill. He went on to attend EMS school, and in 2007, he joined LifeNet part-time and concurrently pursued paramedic education. In 2009, he was hired full-time.

Local paint contractor Gary Williams began the year on a kidney transplant list and ended it with a new kidney, donated by his son-in-law Jimmy Sorenson.

On August 16th, 2024, Lauren Crowder turned 40. Her 30s had been a decade full of life and milestones: at 30, she began dating Mike Crowder, the man she’d marry at 31. But, as wonderful as the prior 10 years had been, Lauren did not grieve leaving her 30s behind—because the day she turned 40 was the day her son, Crew, embarked upon the world.

Headaches and facial pain during increased cardiac activity were Queen City–native Janie Wright’s first indication that something was amiss with her health. She never guessed this seemingly random pain was actually the result of massive arterial blockages.

Love & Gratitude: The Wedding of Ashlyn Cook and Briley Court

Timeless Elegance: The Wedding of Melissa Lambert and Keith Beason

Beyond Blessed: The Wedding of Nicole Penny and Matthew Cox

Southern Charm: The Wedding of Allison Wright and Brock Yates