Opinion > Star Staff
Traveling Full Circle with Lois Curtis
By Tim Carroll
Lois Curtis was born in a house on McDermott Drive in Allen on December 23, 1923. On Monday, she was laid to rest in the Allen cemetery almost directly across the street from her childhood home. The life of this much-loved Allen resident had come full circle, but not until she touched the lives of many along the way.
Born Anna "Lois" Gilliland, she attended the Allen School and graduated in 1941. She married Walter Curtis shortly after he graduated from Allen in 1942 and the couple settled down on a farm near the intersection of Custer and McKinney Ranch Road in Frisco.
Beginning in 1955, Lois worked full-time with Ruth Canady cooking for children in the Allen School. According to her son Bob Curtis, the lunch menu was very similar to his mom's home cooking, because it was.
"The ladies brought their own recipes in from home and cooked meals that the kids loved, like fried chicken, yeast rolls and hot desserts. Turkey and stuffing was her specialty and years later when she no longer cooked, she still had the cafeteria staff using the same recipe we enjoyed each Thanksgiving," Bob recalled.
As the school district grew, Lois moved into the position of food service manager, which she held until her retirement in 1992. Walter Curtis supplemented his farm income as the school district tax assessor and bus driver. That also grew into a full-time job with the school district, and the couple moved into Allen from the farm in 1964.
An interesting story from 1963 involved Lois with her friends and co-workers, Iva Mae Morrow and Bertie Davidson. The ladies tuned in to the popular soap opera "Days of Our Lives" in the kitchen each day until one day a news bulletin reported that President Kennedy had been shot. Curtis rushed to tell Principal James Griffin, who at first didn't believe the news. They then called Superintendent Lee Rountree and high school principal Max Vaughan to share the news with the older students. It all began with Lois and her "Days of Our Lives" TV set.
It wasn't her cooking, or his driving that led to a middle school being named for Walter and Lois Curtis in 1994. Outside of work, the two devoted their spare time to making Allen a better place for kids and families.
Whether it was operating the scoreboard or running one of the first school PTA groups, Walter and Lois were there to help. They were among the biggest Allen Eagles fans in town and rarely missed a sporting event.
"My dad devoted 34 years of service to Allen children and my mother gave 37 years," explained Bob Curtis. "Allen was their town and the pride they showed in the schools and community was evident through every one of those years."
With Lois, her three children, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, Bob Curtis figures there has been a Curtis family member in the Allen Schools for the past 82 years. He retired as the district's long-time facilities director in 2010 and more recently his daughter Stacey Dunstan has been teaching math at Allen High School.
Following Walter's death in 1992, Lois continued to support the Allen Eagles at Allen sporting events until she was sidelined by an illness in 2009.
Whether it was an extra helping of her signature turkey stuffing, or a helping hand for a child who lost his lunch, Lois Curtis was a mother and a friend and a darn good cook to thousands of Allen students. For that we all say thank you and, God Bless.
Tim Carroll is director of public information for the Allen ISD. Reach him at tim_carroll@allenisd.org
Born Anna "Lois" Gilliland, she attended the Allen School and graduated in 1941. She married Walter Curtis shortly after he graduated from Allen in 1942 and the couple settled down on a farm near the intersection of Custer and McKinney Ranch Road in Frisco.
Beginning in 1955, Lois worked full-time with Ruth Canady cooking for children in the Allen School. According to her son Bob Curtis, the lunch menu was very similar to his mom's home cooking, because it was.
"The ladies brought their own recipes in from home and cooked meals that the kids loved, like fried chicken, yeast rolls and hot desserts. Turkey and stuffing was her specialty and years later when she no longer cooked, she still had the cafeteria staff using the same recipe we enjoyed each Thanksgiving," Bob recalled.
As the school district grew, Lois moved into the position of food service manager, which she held until her retirement in 1992. Walter Curtis supplemented his farm income as the school district tax assessor and bus driver. That also grew into a full-time job with the school district, and the couple moved into Allen from the farm in 1964.
An interesting story from 1963 involved Lois with her friends and co-workers, Iva Mae Morrow and Bertie Davidson. The ladies tuned in to the popular soap opera "Days of Our Lives" in the kitchen each day until one day a news bulletin reported that President Kennedy had been shot. Curtis rushed to tell Principal James Griffin, who at first didn't believe the news. They then called Superintendent Lee Rountree and high school principal Max Vaughan to share the news with the older students. It all began with Lois and her "Days of Our Lives" TV set.
It wasn't her cooking, or his driving that led to a middle school being named for Walter and Lois Curtis in 1994. Outside of work, the two devoted their spare time to making Allen a better place for kids and families.
Whether it was operating the scoreboard or running one of the first school PTA groups, Walter and Lois were there to help. They were among the biggest Allen Eagles fans in town and rarely missed a sporting event.
"My dad devoted 34 years of service to Allen children and my mother gave 37 years," explained Bob Curtis. "Allen was their town and the pride they showed in the schools and community was evident through every one of those years."
With Lois, her three children, numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren, Bob Curtis figures there has been a Curtis family member in the Allen Schools for the past 82 years. He retired as the district's long-time facilities director in 2010 and more recently his daughter Stacey Dunstan has been teaching math at Allen High School.
Following Walter's death in 1992, Lois continued to support the Allen Eagles at Allen sporting events until she was sidelined by an illness in 2009.
Whether it was an extra helping of her signature turkey stuffing, or a helping hand for a child who lost his lunch, Lois Curtis was a mother and a friend and a darn good cook to thousands of Allen students. For that we all say thank you and, God Bless.
Tim Carroll is director of public information for the Allen ISD. Reach him at tim_carroll@allenisd.org
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