Tomorrow we commemorate the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and I am reminded of the journey of two women.
The first is Dolores Crittendon who was wellknown in the San Marcos community. A mother of five, she worked several jobs to ensure that she could provide the best for her children, and with the support of her parents, she was able to do just that. A wonderful mother, she was devastated when she lost the two youngest in a flood in 1970 – they were only three and six years old. Crittendon pushed through the pain by devoting her life to the service of others. She left jobs in food service and eventually became a social worker, helping individuals who were going through difficult times. She was excellent in this capacity and won various awards and accolades throughout her career with the Texas Department of Human Services and the Salvation Army. Crittendon was master of friendships and community relations, and her best friend was Belle Townsend, longtime director of Head Start.
The second woman in the journey is Cheryl McWilliams, one of Crittendon’s five children. McWilliams was raised in San Marcos, attended San Marcos public schools and Southwest Texas State University (now Texas State University). She too has devoted her life to the service of others; not through social work but through education. She earned a degree in elementary education with a minor in music. Her working career started with a brief stint in the same office as her mother and then McWilliams became a teacher for 10 years – nine of those years teaching kindergarten in Austin, before teaching third grade at Bowie Elementary here in San Marcos.
