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A Little History About The Waelder Update
Carolyn (Hoffman) Ferreira was born and raised in Waelder, Texas. She was a student in the Waelder Independent School District and graduated from Waelder High School in 1964. She is proud to say that she is part of a large and loving family who also lived in and around Waelder, which includes many close family and school friends. During her time in Waelder, she considered school and church activities to be at the center of her life, which I think strikes a chord with many of Waelder's past and present residents.
"Although I left Waelder in 1965 to spread my wings and persue a career, I found the upbringing and experiences I had in Waelder were always a factor in how I approached life no matter how far away I went or how long I was gone," Carolyn explained. "Because of this connection with the roots of my raising, I often fondly thought of Waelder and the people there and wondered what direction their lives had taken them."
In early 2006, she decided to wonder no longer -- she would establish a way to keep in touch with her Waelder roots and with those who had grown up there. Inspired by the simple publication style of Nonie McCrory's Waelder Home Paper, she decided on a "letter from home" format and called it The Waelder Update.
Her initial distribution started with about 10 people, mostly from the WHS graduating classes of the 1960's. When the first issue went out via email in February of 2006, she hoped it would not be the last. "I didn't know if anyone else would like the idea or not," Carolyn says.
It should come as no surprise that there were in fact many others who enjoyed hearing about their old classmates and their old hometown. The response she received was good and her distribution list quickly grew. This is evident by the size of her current list of eager recipients, which stands at about 75 people and includes WHS graduates from a span of about 50 years.
What is the hardest part about keeping The Waelder Update going forward? Contribution of material, without which the publication would cease to exist. "I seem to have a few [people] who are willing to contribute on a regular basis, but I have a hard time getting some to provide anything at all. This is my biggest disappointment, because everyone has an interesting story to tell and everyone on the distribution list is genuinely interested in hearing them," Carolyn says. "I want to thank all those who contribute in some way as well as encourage everyone who has not contributed to start today."
Notes: Carolyn contacted me in May of 2007 after she came across this website (technically, its predecessor) while searching the web. I signed up to receive The Waelder Update and offered to create an "online archive". What you see below is the result. As Carolyn publishes an issue, I convert it and place it here. I am currently trying to catch up on back issues, so please be patient.
If you would like to be added to her distribution list, you can either contact her directly at carolynk46@msn.com or send me an email at waelder@planetd21.com. I will forward all requests to her.
The Archives
Volume 1 (2006)
Volume 2 (2007)
- The Waelder Update: Vol. 02 No. 01 -- January 2007
- The Waelder Update: Vol. 02 No. 02 -- February / March 2007
- The Waelder Update: Vol. 02 No. 03 -- April / May 2007
- The Waelder Update: Vol. 02 No. 04 -- June / July 2007
- The Waelder Update: Vol. 02 No. 05 -- August / September 2007
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