“Getting to Know You…’ Resident Profiles

By Dave Baad

Jack and Jerra Kitzmiller have lived here at Parkview since 2011 having moved here from McKinney, Texas.

Jack was born in Brownwood, Texas, but grew up in Irving. In high school, he played the trumpet and started his own dance band. They played for the Southland Corporation’s Easter Dance as well as other events around Dallas. Jack received his Bachelor’s degree from North Texas State University and taught high school Government, History and Economics in

Irving. While teaching he took his students to help rebuild a community center in the minority section of Irving. In 1958 he was named a Dallas County Delegate to the Republican State Convention. After earning his Master’s Degree at UT Arlington, Jack moved to Odessa, Texas where he taught Political Science at Odessa College and the University of Texas of the Permian Basin (UTPB). At UTPB, he taught two courses: The Soviet Union and Modern Russia.

From 1976 to 1994, Jack took many trips to Russia and other Eastern and Western European countries. Jack remembers a Russian man on a bus in Moscow, on July 4th in 1976, congratulating him for the 200th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. In 1985, he studied the Russian language at the University of Lvov, in the Ukraine. In the 1980’s Jack toured Nicaragua in Central America during their revolution.

Jerra was born in a small town in south Texas. Later, her family moved to Pecos in west Texas where her dad ran a crop dusting business. Jerra attended Texas Tech University to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree in Business Education. In 1979 she moved to Odessa, where she met Jack. They were married in 1982. Jack took his new bride to Russia for their honeymoon. They made several other trips during the 80’s. During the Christmas holiday in 1991, Jack and Jerra went to stay with Iskra Miatchina in Moscow. During that visit they watched Gorbachev’s speech announcing the end of the Soviet Union on Iskra’s small television. They left Moscow on December 31st, the last day of the Soviet Union.

In 1983, Jerra decided to add Computer Information Systems to her teaching certificate. After she had finished her courses, she received a phone call from the Director of the Alternative Center. He offered her the position of Lead Instructor for a program for at-risk youth, designed to help them get their GED. She taught there for six years then went to work at Odessa college as the Coordinator of Adult Basic Education.

Jack and Jerra moved to McKinney in 1997. Jack taught at Collin College and played Senior Softball. Altogether, Jack taught government and political science classes for forty-seven years. In 1999, Jerra went to work for Darling Homes as a Sales Assistant. She retired in 2018.

Between the two of them, Jack and Jerra have 5 children, 11 grandchildren and 1 great-grandchild.

According to Jack and Jerra, every day at Parkview is like living in a wonderful resort.

May 2019