Sue Johnson recently retired from CHRISTUS St. Michael Health System after an illustrious career of over 50 years. In 1974, she moved to Texarkana and began working as a registered nurse in the emergency department. Over the proceeding five decades, she served in various departments: home health and hospice, the “Spirit of St. Michael” mobile clinic, clinic development, the W. Temple Webber Cancer Center, and most recently the advocacy and community planning department, of which she was the director.

Stephanie McCorkle was born and raised in Texarkana, and she has planted her own blended family here, consisting of her husband, Charles, and the couple’s collective six adult daughters. “Raising my family in Texarkana has proven to be a nice, quiet life, full of opportunities professionally,” she said. “It has been a happy, simple, and fulfilling life.”

Stephanie is a family nurse practitioner. Her first job was as a nurse at the CHRISTUS St. Michael Hospital emergency room, “when it was still downtown,” she said. “My first boss was Sue Johnson. I have often said you cannot match her skills. She gave me an opportunity at St. Michael as a new graduate that others would have not done.”

Jo Murphy founded the Texarkana Regional Alliance of Christian Educators (TRACE) in 2021, when she realized that she was not equipped to educate all six of her children by herself.

“I still wanted the prime time with my kids, but it became clear that I couldn’t be the master of every K-12 subject,” she said. “I reached out to some friends to see if they would like to pitch in to hire a few professionals to tutor our kids weekly. After the first year, I realized that we could do the same thing with more classes.” Over the next four years, TRACE expanded to “nearly 100 students, 28 classes, and a teacher roll that I am extremely proud of,” she said.

“If you ask my friends,” Erica Smith admitted, “[they will tell you] I’m too busy. But I only accept engagements/volunteer opportunities after seeking God’s okay first.”

Erica is the incoming president of the Junior League of Texarkana (JLT). “I joined because I wanted to meet and support the needs of my community,” she said. “I wanted to do something. I was invited to come to their spring recruitment [event] and listen in on what they are about. I was amazed at how much JLT is in the background of things that go on in the community. I went home, gushed about it to [husband] Tyrone, and prayed about it, and here I am—the incoming president, just as JLT is about to have its Centennial Celebration next February.”

Since she was a young child, Robin Hall Thomas has played the piano.

“I began taking lessons at the age of 7,” she said. “I was fortunate to learn and study under wonderful piano teachers. My mother played piano, and she was a huge influence in my life.  She was a church pianist, and I followed in her footsteps.”

As a teen living in Shreveport, Louisiana, Robin played weekly at her home church. During her senior year of high school, she performed with the Shreveport Symphony. She went on to earn both a bachelor’s and a master’s degree in piano performance.

As the school year winds down, seniors reflect on their past, say their goodbyes, finish classes, and prepare themselves for whatever the future may hold. For Liberty Eylau’s Brailey Stewart, there’s one additional task: finishing her last season with the track team.

Brailey has been a member of Liberty Eylau’s track team since middle school. “When I was younger, I played softball, but then when middle school came around, I was really into a bunch of other stuff,” she said. “So I started running summer track, but ninth grade was when I really started to take it seriously.”

Dr. James Morris brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to his work in Texarkana, and his financial expertise serves him and the community well. However, James said that his foundational ethic does not require an MBA to understand.

“I live by what I call ‘the anti-poverty program,’” he said. “‘I was hungry, and you gave me something to eat. I was thirsty, and you gave me something to drink. I was naked, and you gave me some clothes.’”

Texarkana USA is on the move, and it’s a sight to behold. A gleaming new airport terminal welcomes newcomers, a fiber optic network will soon pulse underground, and three megasites stand ready to redefine the future. In 2024, the Arkansas Manufacturing Center earned a rare Silver Grade from the Site Selectors Guild, the East Texas Logistics Center landed a $1.5 billion data center prospect, and the TexAmericas Center was ranked third nationally by Business Facilities Magazine. This isn’t just progress—it’s transformation, and Texarkana’s people are driving it.

In a cozy office in Texarkana, a unique insurance agency thrives—not just on policies and premiums but on trust, loyalty, and a deep-rooted sense of family. For Teresa Smith and her son, Malachi, partners at Higginbotham Insurance and Financial Services (formerly known as Barry Insurance Agency), running a business together has been more than a professional journey. It’s been a personal one, strengthening their bond while serving their community.

Friends Jasmine Cree and Madeline Haak are both proud to call Texarkana their hometown. Their bond blossomed on the volleyball court at Pleasant Grove High School, where they quickly became inseparable. Over the years, their connection has only deepened. 

Jasmine and Madeline, who both hold master’s degrees in communication, now work together at a local business. When Jasmine had the idea for a pro-Texarkana social media page, she asked Madeline to help.

For decades, the sports complexes of Texarkana, Texas, have been more than just ball fields—they’ve been beloved spaces where friendships are forged, rivalries take shape, and generations of athletes create lifelong memories. From the excitement of youth league games to the roar of regional tournaments, these facilities have shaped generations of athletes and fans alike. Now, after years of dreaming, planning, and securing the necessary funding, the City of Texarkana, Texas, is in the final stages of a long-anticipated transformation of two of its well-loved sports facilities: the Swanger Baseball and Grady T. Wallace Soccer Complexes.

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.